Ignored Love
by Kakashi500
Summary: Juugo looked to me when he put the last box into the trunk. "You sure you don't want to talk to her?" "I'm sure. I have nothing to say to her anyway." Juugo scowled. "Sasuke! You can't keep doing this!" SasuSaku
1. Not Enough

**Not Enough  
**

~With this knife  
I'll cut out the part of me  
The part that cares for you  
With this knife  
I'll cut out the heart of me  
The heart that cares for you~

I sat alone in the one bedroom apartment my girlfriend and I shared. Well I wasn't really alone, my six week old Siberian Husky is laying under the window sill, just below where I sat. He is white and black, the white fur mostly just on his stomach and parts of his face, including the inside of his ears, while the black covered his back and most of his head. He was the one that kept me company when my girlfriend was out. She wasn't home, not that she ever was anyway. Her friends and co-workers see more of her than I do.

I sighed as I strummed a melancholy tune on my acoustic guitar. I always wondered why I was still here, when I met Karin, I thought I would be happy. But I'm more miserable now than I have ever been. Why? We never spend time together, she's always out partying with her friends. I think she may even be cheating on me. And what a surprise, I'm still here.

I was currently seated on the window sill in the living room area. The glass frame was open as the wind blew through my raven-black hair that had a dark red on the tips, my eyes shared the same color as my raven hair and my mom once told me that she thought my eyes reflected mystery and wisdom. I guess its true, I am indeed a mystery, and I guess I was fairly smart but I don't like to brag. I didn't get good grades in school, but they were good enough to pass and get me to graduate. I had a rebellious streak when I was young...shit...I still have it.

Everything I wear is black, I'm even wearing a pair of black combat boots, as well as chains that hung from my pants. They are crossed like an 'X' and went through my belt loop in the back. A few tattoos were etched into the skin of my arms. I was surprised when they were pretty cheap to get. One that was on my right forearm was one of a snake, it was done around my arm making it seem like the snake was coiled around my limb. Its fangs protruded from its mouth as blood dripped from the white enamel. The other one on my left arm above my elbow was a grim reaper, he held the scythe as if he would cut your head off with it.

Karin was pissed when I got my second tattoo, she had been fine with the one of the snake, since it was the only reptile she liked, that of course was the only thing we had in common, she didn't like my pup, not really any common place there, though I guess its understandable, Fang doesn't like her either.

But anyway the day I got the grim reaper she just yelled at me, and that alone started a fight which ended up with me having to apologize for something that wasn't my fault. Another sigh escaped my lips, pierced lips I might add, as I strummed a whole new tune on my guitar, I loved music, it was the only thing that kept me sane, besides Fang that is. He was like my best friend. He perked up when he heard the tune on my guitar and just stared at me.

As I was saying before, I'm home alone. Not exactly how I wanted to spend my Saturday night, but at least its peaceful here. That is until Karin comes back, I'm really starting to rethink staying with her, sure she was, well I don't know, nice at first but now she is ignorant and selfish. I looked up to the sky as I saw jet black clouds swallowing the blue ocean above. Great it was going to rain. Oh well I enjoy rain so its fine with me.

The front door opening startled both Fang and I, but I soon relaxed when Karin came through the door, she was home earlier than usual. Her red hair was styled in a way most girls would be jealous of. Her small shorts showed off her legs as well as her thighs, the shirt she wore would definitely have guys thinking perverted thoughts. Not me though, I found it rather disgusting. She looked to me and smiled slightly before walking to our room. It was all silent until she spoke up and began to talk from the other room.

"Sasuke, I just came back to get my jacket and put my boots on."

She came back out of the room and I had to resist the urge to yell at her, though Fang didn't show as much restraint as I did, since he started growling at her. She only came back to get her jacket and boots, she didn't care how I felt, or that I was here alone. I glared at her before standing to my feet and setting my guitar down by the wall. I walked up to her as the chains on my pants made small noises from beating against each other.

"Why do you always do this?"

"Do what?"

"Leave me here while you go out and party. Your friends and co-workers seem to get more attention from you than I do."

"Excuse me, don't even start with me Sasuke, I will do whatever the hell I want, you have no say so stop trying to treat me like a little kid. I have to go, I'll see you later.

As she walked away, I whispered, "...No you won't."

"What?"

"Nothing."

I didn't say anything else, I've decided, I'm getting out of here. I'm not going to be treated like shit by some slut who doesn't know what she has until she loses it. I don't know if I did truly love her, maybe I was just afraid of being lonely. My parents would take me in until I found a place of my own. But this is it. Just then I heard a knock on the door, "Its open." I said as I started to gather my stuff, I thought it was just Karin again, but then again she wouldn't have knocked.

The door opened as my friend Juugo walked through and into the apartment. His orange hair was spiked, and he wore a black shirt with white pants. He spotted me packing my belongings in duffel bags and small boxes and just stared with a surprised look, I figured he probably thought I was crazy. But I managed a shrug before continuing with what I was doing. It wasn't long until he decided to speak up.

"Sasuke, may I ask what you are doing?"

"...Leaving."

"Karin again?"

"I'm tired of her using me as a doormat, she only spends time with me when someone upsets her. She just uses me and then throws me aside."

"Where will you go?"

"I don't know yet, but most likely back home with my parents until I can find a place of my own. If not, I'll go stay with my brother."

"Well I was planning to move out that way, I received a job offer so I'm taking it." He paused and knelt down when Fang approached him and began petting him. "...if you haven't found somewhere to stay, don't hesitate to call, you can stay with me there until you get back on your feet."

"Thanks Juugo. I appreciate it."

"No problem, I was coming over here to ask if you wanted to help me get some parts for my car but now I should ask if you would like some help packing."

"Yeah that would be great."

We worked at the packing all night, and Karin still wasn't back yet, no shock there. But frankly, I really don't care, she had the chance to be by my side, and now she was going to lose me. Juugo and I picked up my items and boxes and made our way out to my car. My favorite car, that I fixed up myself, a 1986 Chevy Camaro. It was a slick black that had a white strip from the tail all the way to the hood, stopping before it reached the front bumper.

I placed my stuff inside the trunk as Juugo put some on the passenger side floorboard. Fang apparently knew I was leaving so he hopped into the passenger seat and sat there with his tongue hanging out and his tail wagging happily. I only smirked at him before giving him a pat on the head and shutting the passenger side door. I had all of my things ready to go, and I soon bid my goodbye to my friend and watched as he drove off in his own car.

I told him to stay in touch, and maybe I'd go visit him sometime, but right now I had to get away. I had at least a four hour drive ahead of me, so I pulled out my phone called my employer and told him I had to quit. I gave him a new address, so he could send my final pay check there. After that call I dialed my mothers cell. I had to let her know I was coming, I didn't want to just show up unannounced. I was glad when she said it was fine with her and my father, now I just had to make it there.

After hanging up from my conversation, I pulled out my keys and started the car, the engine growled lively as I shifted it into gear. Pulling away, I looked back through the review mirror, no regrets, just the freedom I wanted as the wind from my rolled down window blew through my hair. I was actually glad to be out of there, though in a way, it still hurt, it hurt because she didn't care about how I felt, my feelings for her weren't fake, they were real, but again I have no idea why I even held romantic feelings for her.

I shook my head and flipped on the windshield wipers when I noticed that it started to rain. It isn't heavy rain, but just a light sprinkle, trust me if it were raining hard I would be rolling up my window right now. I continued with my driving before I realized I needed to stop for gasoline. Great. I sighed and pulled off at the next exit.

Filling up the car wasn't that all expensive, but it still cost a lot, these damn oil companies just like to milk us dry of our money but I guess that's just how life is. The gas tank was on the passenger side so I was being stared at by two blue puppy dog eyes the entire time. Not that I minded, Fang was really the only one that cheered me up, ever since I got him, he made me feel happier, even if it was just a little.

I finished filling up my car and received my receipt. I slipped back into the drivers seat and my thoughts briefly drifted back to Karin and what she would think once she got home and read the note I left her. I wasn't at all nice with my words either, it was more near an aggressive letter than a polite one. I sighed again and started the engine before setting off on the long drive.

It was about forty-minutes until I pulled off to the side of the rode to let Fang do his business. I also grabbed him some food from the small bag of soft puppy chow on the floor board along with some water I poured from a water bottle I stowed away for him, into his water bowl, which he drank up fully.

He looked at me when he finished and wagged his tail, the bone-shaped tag on his black collar clinked quietly as I smiled slightly. I grabbed the handle of my door and opened it, as Fang jumped into the driver's seat before jumping to the passenger side. I set his bowl onto the floor board, it was empty so I wasn't worried about anything spilling.

Glancing at the clock, I couldn't help but give out a yawn when I saw the time was ten o'clock into the night. I hadn't realized I've been driving for so long, but I was relieved when I saw the exit I needed to get off at to find my parent's home.

Fang had fallen asleep about an hour ago, I figured he was bored, he is a puppy still so being in a car without any place to run around isn't exactly a great place for him. That thought alone reminded me of the time I first went and picked him up, he was only a week old, I had to bottle feed him since the mother had died and couldn't give them any milk.

Fang surely could have died, since he hadn't gotten the nutrition he needed from the mother's milk, but he pulled through it, it was a mystery to me, but it made me wonder, did the other puppies survive? Numerous people had come to adopt them, but it was a first come first serve kind of thing, since they needed people to take care of them immediately. I just happened to be walking around that day looking for some things to photograph, and I ended up buying him.

I guess people would wonder why I say photograph? Well I am a photographer, that's what I do for a living. I take pictures for newspapers, magazines, etcetera. Am I a famous photographer? Well I guess I am considering I sell a lot of my work to people, and some are even in galleries. I got paid well enough so I didn't really care about the fame, as long as I had money to support myself and Fang, I would be okay without being known around the world.

Pulling into my parents driveway, Fang awoke suddenly and sat up to stretch out his stiff muscles. It was late but I what gave me a real surprise was when my parents opened the door and came to greet me. I thought they would have been asleep already but I guessed wrong.

With a sigh I got out of the Camaro and Fang followed me, my mother greeted me with a hug, she was always affectionate even if her sons' were not. But I always had a soft spot for my mom and she was the one that received the most affection from me, and it was rare when I showed any love for people. Karin was just one of those, but not anymore.

"Oh Sasuke, I'm so glad your here." My mother, Mikoto, squeezed me into another hug. "...Still my rebellious baby boy as always." She said this after she eyed my outfit, she didn't care what I wore, she still loved me the same, just as long as I didn't get involved with drugs, which I can proudly say I stayed away from.

"Good to see you son." My dad held out his hand and I took it in mine, my dad was just like my brother and I. Didn't show a lot of affection, the small hints he gave proved he cared deeply for his family, and that was enough for us.

"Who is this cute little thing?" I looked down once I saw my mom's eyes move to the ground, she had spotted Fang, and I just remembered I forgot to let them know I had a dog with me.

"This is Fang, I adopted him when he was newly born."

"Oh, but don't puppies need their mothers."

"Yeah, but, the mother died and they would have died along with her if they hadn't been adopted out to be take care of." I shifted my eyes back at Fang after glancing at my mom, he just sat on the ground by my feet waiting to do something.

"Well he's cute, but I wish you would have told us that he was coming with you so we could have bought some puppy food for him."

"No worries on that, he has enough in the bag in my car until I can get to a store to buy more."

"Oh okay."

They helped me bring my stuff into the house and up the stairs to my old room. The bed was still the same as it was before, black sheets and a raven black blanket over it. The pillows though were white so the bed didn't look too plain. I set my stuff down as my parents followed suit. My dad left to go and lock the front door and shut the lights off. My mom on the other hand lingered at the doorway, I knew she wanted to ask me something, I was almost afraid of what it was.

"Sasuke, can I ask you why you moved back here?"

"..." I couldn't help but remain silent.

"What about that girl you are dating? What was her name... Karin?"

"Was dating." I moved to pull some things from the boxes.

"What do you mean?"

"Mom, she wasn't the right girl for me." I looked to her and saw her hair flow out as she tilted her head slightly. I hadn't really noticed what she was wearing earlier but now I did, just a simple red shirt with long navy blue shorts. "...She liked to party more then spend time with me. I hardly ever saw her, and when I did, she only wanted me to make her feel better when she was upset. I just felt used, so I left."

"Ah I see," She gave a sad smile and walked over to me before placing a hand on my shoulder, "...There are other fish in the sea Sasuke, you'll find one some day, good things come to those that wait."

After she said that she just left and shut the door as she bid me a good night. I smiled just a little at her words, they were comforting to say the least and for that I was grateful. I finished unpacking my stuff and had just placed the last of my clothes into the closet. I decided I would keep the boxes, I didn't want to stay too long and annoy my parents.

I got ready for bed only wearing a pair of black pants and a sleeveless black shirt. I crawled under the sheets and was about to fall asleep when I heard whining. I looked over the side of the bed and spotted Fang looking at me with pleading eyes, poor little guy he was too small, he can't jump onto the bed. I gave a quiet chuckle before sitting up and reaching over and picking him up. I set him on the mattress and laid back down onto my side, he came up to me and curled himself against my back.

I sighed with content and closed my eyes.

* * *

My eyes cracked open when I felt something nudging my cheek. It was Fang, he did this everyday, he always woke me up in the morning, he was like my alarm clock. I pat him on the head and sat up, I lifted my arms up and stretched myself out, not a bad night's sleep, I was actually at peace during the night, unlike other nights I went to bed after a fight with Karin.

Yanking the blanket off of myself I slid out of the bed and headed into the bathroom. I just grabbed my other black pants that had the chains on them and a pair of my black boxers, I figured I would pick a shirt when I got out, since I didn't know which one to wear.

After my shower I came out with a blue towel around my shoulders as I used my right hand to rub the material against my hair to dry it, while my left wiped away any water droplets that fell onto my chest. I glanced annoying at my hair, the red dye was still in my hair, I wish I never agreed to let Karin do that, but she insisted and I just let her do it.

I opened the closet door and looked through the assortment of black shirts. Some are plain, while others had designs on them, I settled for a black sleeveless shirt that had a red rose wrapped in a thin chain printed on it. I tossed the towel onto my bed and slipped the shirt over my head.

On the nightstand near the bed I grabbed my phone and placed it in my pocket, while I grabbed the assortment of accessories that sat next to it. One was a chain, that was connected together by a small lock with my first name's initial, the other necklace that I slipped on was a black skeleton key on a small chain made of small metal balls connected together.

The rings I decided to put on after I put my belt and bracelets. It was white with black designs of skulls and bullets, I only hooked it through one loop of my pants on my side so the belt just leaned like it would slip off my thin waist. Next I put on a chain bracelet on my right wrist while a black wrist band was on my left. I sighed as I finished with putting my rings onto my thumbs and pointer fingers before grabbing my wallet and sliding it into my back pocket, along with a small notepad and a pen. I used those to write down challenges for myself to photograph.

After I was completely dressed I left the room, while grabbing the leash hanging on the door handle, Fang was following me while wagging his tail. I had to suppress a laugh when he started to paw at my ankles when he walked behind me. It was obvious he was wanting to play. I made it downstairs and I spotted my parents at the kitchen table drinking coffee, well my father was drinking coffee, my mother had tea.

"Morning Sasuke."

"Morning."

"What are you're plans for the day?"

"Well, I'm going to go look for a job, I'm taking Fang with me, so he can get some exercise, maybe I'll stop at the park but I haven't decided yet."

"Oh, sounds like you have a busy day ahead of you."

"Yeah I guess so, well I'll see you guys later." I left with a wave of my hand and headed out the door.

As soon as I was outside, I hooked the leash onto Fang's collar and we made our way into town. I wasn't worried we'd take too long to get into town, it wasn't far so I didn't want to waste the gas in my car when I could just walk. I shook my head when people passed down the road in their cars, it was a pointless waste of money when the shops aren't far from the houses. Besides I had taken Fang with me and I knew he wouldn't want to ride in the car again.

Coming to a stop outside a small business that sold water and small portions of foods as snacks, lucky for me they had a window so people could order from outside so I decided to get a large bottle of water and an order of their food that looked like fried bread and ramen soup. It was pretty good, the fried bread I mean, and I gave come pieces to Fang who enjoyed them as well.

I asked the woman at the register for a small cup and she handed me one. Opening the bottle I set the lid in my hand and grabbed the cup. I poured some water into it and put it on the ground, where my pup drank it up. I sat at that table for a little while just petting Fang.

That was until I heard someone yell from up at the counter. It seemed like they were having a problem inside, I heard a male's voice as he yelled, "GET OUT OF HERE! IF YOU CAN'T PAY, YOU CAN'T EAT!"

As soon as those words were uttered, the manager, or so I guessed came to the door and threw out a man about my age, twenty-one or twenty-two. His hair was blond and his blue eyes looked at the man with fury and pleading. "Come on man, don't leave me out here like this, I'll find a way to pay. Just put it on my tab for now."

"Your tab is already as long as my wife's shopping list. And I ain't talking about groceries boy."

"I'll pay you, I promise."

"Yeah? With what money?"

"Uh..."

The blond haired boy looked at me all of a sudden and soon was instantly by my side. He grabbed my hand and shook it forcefully. "Hi I'm Naruto, nice to met ya, want to be friends? Great! Say can you lend me some money?"

I twitched at this as I closed my eyes annoyingly before opening them and punching him on the head. "...OW! What the hell dude?"

"Naruto, do you know this guy?" The man asked since he obviously didn't hear Naruto quickly introduce himself to me.

"Of course I do, we're best buds." He made a move to put an arm around my shoulder.

"Any part of you that touches me, you're not getting back," I said with no hint of emotion in my voice to get him to believe I was serious.

He stopped and stepped back and rubbed the back of his head, while laughing nervously. I rolled my eyes before turning to the manager of the small business. "How much does he owe you?"

"One hundred and fifty dollars even."

I couldn't believe I was doing this, but I pulled out my wallet and handed the man my credit card. He took it to the woman at the register for outside orders and she rang up the total tab that belonged to this spiky haired male. I received my card back and grabbed Fang's leash and walked away. I thought I was going to go in peace but to my surprise Naruto came up to my side and began walking along side me.

"Hey thanks for that back there. I'll pay you back-" I cut him off. "...How are you going to pay me back? You couldn't even pay your own damn tab. Who the hell needs a tab anyway?"

"Well I do teme, I love ramen and I guess I got a little carried away."

"A little?"

"Okay fine, I really got carried away."

Shaking my head I attempted to walk faster to get him off my back. But he still stuck by my side and continued walking alongside Fang and I. "So you new here?" He asked me, trying to make conversation.

"Yeah. Well I have to go." I walked quickly away as he stopped and stared at my retreating back.

I walked until I came to a stop outside a small bar, it didn't look very packed but I could tell a lot of the slut came here. And how would I know? I was approached by some just now. They started to hit on me, and I was getting disgusted as they tried to make themselves seem appealing. I shuddered and pushed my way out of their clingy hands. To my surprise I spotted my mom across the street, she saw me as well and looked both ways before running across the street.

"Mom, what are you doing here?"

"I was looking for you, I wanted to ask you if I could borrow your dog. My friends and I are having this little competition at our get together today."

"Oh, uh.." I didn't get to finish when she snatched the leash from my hand and grinned with a sweet smile, leaving me there with a raised eyebrow and confused expression...My dog was just kidnapped by my own mother. Who knows what she would do to him? I was too late to stop her, since she was already out of sight.

Turning I walked into the bar and headed to a stool by the bartender. The bar had a calm vibe to it, it was dark inside but lights still illuminated my surroundings. I ordered a glass of beer and sat there thinking. I pulled out the notepad and pen and began writing things down. I tried to come up with new possible objects to take pictures of but I was interested in photographing the sky and nature as a whole.

What I noticed from the corner of my eye, was a group of girls, one kept talking to her pink-haired friend and then gestured to me with her head. I figured they thought I hadn't seen them, but as soon as I turned my head I caught the pink-haired girls emerald eyes with my onyx ones. Her face flushed and quickly looked away, she was embarrassed since she got caught.

I ripped out a piece of paper and wrote a small sentence on it and stuck the rest of the notepad back in my pocket. I stood and gave a gesture to the bartender that I was out of here, and he nodded and cleaned up my area.

I walked over to the group of girls and handed the one with the pink hair, the slip of paper. I walked away silently leaving the bar, but not before I heard her friends squeal at her, she was proabably feeling really embarassed now. For what I wrote on the paper was a question to what she was doing.

_Why do you keep staring?_

**A/N Okay, some people probably want to bash my head in for not updating Let Me In, but it will be posted tomorrow. So yeah, you know, read...review...PLEASE!!**


	2. New Friends?

**New Friends?**

~I could tell my life was changing  
Since the minute I met you  
But I would never tell you  
Because I'm afraid  
Afraid of falling apart~

My eye twitched, as I looked to the ground. I shouldn't have let my mom take Fang. I really really shouldn't have let her take him.

"What the hell did you do to him?"

"Oh calm down Sasuke, its only-"

"Mom! You've got pink bows on his ears." I stared down at Fang as he pawed at his ears, trying desperately to remove the objects from them. I immediately felt sorry for him, this was just torture.

"Its not so bad."

"Not bad? Mom, he's a boy, you don't put bows on a boy dog's ears." I shook my head and knelt down to pick him up.

I held him in one of my arms as I pulled the bows off of him, which I think he was grateful for his tongue hanging out and his tailing wagging was enough. "Say what you want Sasuke." I heard my mother say. "But I don't see a problem with it."

"Would you put bows in a human boys hair?" I asked her in a serious tone.

"Well no, that would be ridiculous."

"Its the same with male dogs." I held Fang to my chest, so I wouldn't drop him. "Besides he isn't some prissy Chihuahua or Shih Tzu."

My mother rolled her eyes before giggling at my words. I gave a small smirk, I knew she meant no harm; it was just a simple contest with her weird friends and when I say weird I mean WEIRD! I couldn't resist saying what I said next though.

"So, about that competition? Did you win?"

My mom laughed and hit me playfully on the arm. I had a humorous side too.

* * *

It was around four-thirty-five o'clock when I was seated at the dinner table with my parents, yes we did eat early, since my dad always had to leave at six for some business crap. I didn't know I was going to get interrogated about my life. My dad had already asked me if I found a job, and I had actually, with a local newspaper to be exact. I was just their photographer. I took the pictures of stories they were covering and other things similar to that.

I had to suppress a frustrated groan when my mom asked about my love life.

"So meet any new girls today?"

"Mom, please don't."

"Oh fine, ruin my fun why don't you?" She giggled and crossed her arms pretending to be mad. But I knew she wasn't. She never got mad at me, but my brother and my father, well...that's a different story.

After our meal was over I headed up to my room, I decided I would try to remove this damn red dye from my hair. I really don't want it to be in there anymore. I heard the doorbell ring, but I was already in my bathroom, so I let my parents get it. It was their house after all, it's not like it was my job to get it. As mean as that sounds, it was true, but I would have answered it if I was still down there anyway.

I wrapped a towel around my shoulders to avoid getting water all over my shirt. I grabbed the shampoo from the shower and put some on my hand then leaned over the sink as I switched on the water. I could have sworn I heard my mom call me but I dismissed it and continued lathering up my hair and rinsing it out repeatedly.

I heard someone approach the bathroom door, which I left open. "Hey your mom's calling you."

Having had my head turned away from the door, I couldn't see who was there. "Who's talking please?"

"Its me Naruto."

I turned to look to the door. "Oh yeah, ramen boy." I continued with what I was doing before adding, "Do you always enter strange people's bathrooms without knocking?"

"Sorry, I didn't think you'd have minded."

He suddenly came in and sat on the edge of the bathtub and rested his arms on his legs when he leaned forward, as he put in, "I'll just hang out here with you. My girlfriend said someone moved in with her neighbors and I figured it was you...So what are you doing?"

"Interpretive dance." I said sarcastically with an emotionless tone as I lifted my leg before placing my foot back on the floor, he merely shook his head. Obviously not the answer he was looking for.

"No I'm serious."

"I'm trying to remove red dye from my hair, my ex-girlfriend convinced me to dye it even though I was reluctant to."

"Why did you dye it?"

"To be different and piss some people off because I'm not afraid to be different."

"When I want to piss someone off I talk really loud and obnoxious. Though I guess I'm always like that, but I don't care I like to be different as what you said bef-"

"You know what's funny here Naruto, you keep talking to me like I'm actually listening."

"?...Oh...haha, your funny dude."

_'Jeez, what's with this guy? Its like nothing phases him.'_

"Whatever." I muttered when I turned the water off. I sighed with frustration when I looked in the mirror and saw that the red dye still lingered. Looks like it will take more washes to get that shit out. That just pissed me off all the more.

"So..." He drawled out through the silence

"What?"

"Wanna go hang with me and my friends, I'm sure you have nothing better to do, I mean you did just move here and all." He was a weird one, I'll admit, he doesn't even know me that well, yet he's inviting me to join him and his friends.

Honestly I was a little worried about that. If he was this annoying who knows what the people he hangs out with are like. I shook my head at the thought of there being several Naruto-like people. We only needed one Naruto and he just happened to be standing in my bathroom. Life is great isn't it....yeah not really.

"Actually I do have better things to do, I have some pictures to take." It wasn't a lie, I always went out, it was a perfect time to get some shots of nature during the day, and besides sunset would come and I'd have another to add to the galleries that are waiting for my works.

I walked out of the bathroom as I ran the towel through my hair as if were scratching my head, the blond idiot was following me, I grabbed my camera along with some extra rolls of film which I just threw in my pocket, most people would call it sophisticated, and I guess that's true since not a lot of people knew how to operate it or use the different settings for that matter.I threw the towel on the edge of my bed and fumbled with the object in my hands.

"Pictures? What for?"

"It's my job. I'm a photographer."

"Sweet, you can photograph my friends and I."

I didn't have time to respond when he suddenly grabbed my arm and dragged me from the room then down the stairs. He only let me go once we reached the living room where I saw my parents talking to two girls. One of them had dark hair and she nodded shyly at my mother's words. She wore a light blue shirt, black pants and black sandals.

The other was, wait... I recognize her; she was the girl at that club, the one that was teased by her friends. Her pink hair was all I needed to know it was her. Her red shirt and black pants went well together as well as her black flip-flops. But those green eyes of hers were...I don't know...beautiful.

Wait...what?

I think my face may have turned slightly pink after I thought that and it didn't help when she looked at me. I could have sworn I saw a blush adorn her cheeks as well. She smiled shyly and looked away in embarrassment. Probably from the last time we crossed each other.

"Sasuke." My mother addressed me, snapping me from my thoughts. "They wanted you to hang with them today."

"Oh but I-"

"Now now, don't be shy, go have some fun."

Before any of us knew it, she ushered us out of the house. She wanted me to start hanging with people; she didn't want me to be lonely so she forced me into going with them. I sighed, but I only realized Fang wasn't with me when Naruto shoved me into his car. My mom did that on purpose, very clever, she knew if Fang came, I'd be anti-social with these guys.

I sat behind Naruto in the backseat, as the pink-haired girl sat next to me with her friend in the front with Naruto. I won't lie, I am a little nervous being with these guys, I mean I don't know them, I don't know what kind of people they are, though judging from Naruto I guess they weren't so bad. Even though the blond haired boy was annoying as hell.

"Hey Sakura," Naruto said to the girl sitting next to me, "Are you going to remain silent the whole time?"

"Shut up Naruto." She pouted and crossed her arms.

They were, how do I put it, almost like siblings, the way they acted showed they really cared for each other. Even if all they did was tease each other. I figured the girl in the front was Naruto's girlfriend; the way he looked at her was proof enough for me. Her name was Hinata; I learned that bit of information when he called the girl's attention.

They started their own little chat leaving Sakura and I in an awkward position. I think she may have wanted to talk, but she hesitated, just like me. She nervously tapped her nails on her knee, apparently waiting for me to say something. When I didn't she took the liberty of starting our soon to be conversation.

"So..."

"Yeah." I drawled out as a reply, "..."

She laughed nervously, she is definitely the shy type, there was no doubt about that, which made me wonder if she's ever been around guys that weren't part of her group of friends. I really didn't know what to say to her, I wasn't much of a conversation starter. And she seemed like she could relate to that. Though she wasn't as shy as the girl in the front seat, but still close.

"Well I'm Sakura, as Naruto had said earlier." She introduced herself to me with an innocent smile.

"Sasuke."

I saw the confused look on her face since I hadn't spoke loud enough.

"My name is Sasuke."

"Oh, sorry, nice to meet you."

"Yeah, likewise."

"Um, about what happened at the bar? I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what? You didn't do anything wrong." It was my turn to be confused, "You got caught staring, so what?"

"Yeah but, aren't you mad?"

"No." I shook my head as I said this. " I only ever get mad at girls for staring at me when I'm in a relationship, or if I find them disgusting, in the way that they dress I mean."

"Was I disgusting to you?" She smiled teasingly.

"No, you and your friends uh.."

"Tenten and Ino."

"Right, you guys were dressed better than most of the girls there."

"Thanks."

My nerves were starting to calm, and it was becoming easier to talk to her. She was a good listener and she spoke like she wasn't shy at all. Maybe she just needed to get used to someone first before she becomes comfortable with them. I wanted to know an answer and it happens to be the same question I wrote on the slip of paper.

"So, are you going to answer my question?"

"What question?"

"The one I wrote on the slip of paper I handed to you."

"Oh, um that." She struggled with her words.

"Well?"

"I've never seen someone like you before."

"Someone like me? What do you mean? A goth kid? A depressed kid? A trouble-maker?"

"No. Someone who wasn't afraid to be different, no matter what they wore or how they acted. Naruto doesn't really fit in there, he's just a loud-mouthed brat."

I had to suppress a small laugh when she said that.

"I dress the way I do because I like the style, and I guess its to be different as well."

She smiled at me and I just gave a smirk. Why is it easy to talk to her? I've only ever talked seriously with Juugo, with Naruto I was a cold jerk, but that didn't seem to intimidate him. What is it about her? Maybe it was the fact that she had this aura around her that made me feel comfortable in being around her.

We arrived at our destination, it was a large park with a walkway, benches, green grass, trees, you name it, was there, well if it belonged in a park it was there. I spotted a small boy throwing a Frisbee to his dog, I just watched as the large animal jumped and caught the Frisbee in his mouth. It was one of the things I hopped to teach Fang. Of course only when he grows out of the teething stage and stops chewing the Frisbee to pieces.

And that was what I'd like to catch.

I flipped the switch which brought my camera to life, I knelt down on my right knee and held it up as I peered through the small window where I could see what I would capture. It was one of the easiest ways to make sure you were getting what you wanted and not an accidental picture. Believe me I've seen plenty.

Unlike a lot of photographers, I used film, but my camera was equipped with several of the same settings as a digital camera. Except for the whole negative, sepia and video crap that a photographer shouldn't need. Why would we need those things anyway? A camera like that was for the amateur people who didn't know how to use the real deal.

I twisted the front of the lens, which zoomed in on the dog, as soon as the boy tossed the Frisbee again, the dog didn't hesitate in jumping for it, and as soon as he did, I pressed the button that would capture it. I hit it three times to make sure I got it right, once the film was developed I would chose the one I liked best.

I was glad I had got it before I was interrupted by Naruto, he wrapped his arm around my neck as if to put me in a headlock. He dragged me over to his friends whom I guessed was why we were here. Naruto released me from his grasp as I scowled at him before straightening myself.

There were seven of them, two blondes who introduced themselves to me as Temari and Ino, Ino I remember, she was one of the girls that was at the bar with Sakura. Ino smiled slyly, she was planning something, and I knew it had something to do with me. Temari was wearing a purple shirt and blue jeans, her shoes were just plain white shoes. Ino wore a light purple shirt, her black pants had white tints to them that made them look old.

The next two I met were a couple, I assumed they were anyway. They went by the names of Neji, who shook my hand, and gestured to the girl next to him, Tenten who was the other girl at the bar, her hair was up in two buns and she wore boyish clothes like dark blue jeans and a basket ball jersey, I wondered if she played. Neji on the other hand wore a simple white shirt with black dress pants. He said that he was Hinata's cousin, I could believe that, they had some similar features.

Him and Hinata both dressed nicely, I wondered if they were raised like that or if that was just their style.

Lastly I was met with three guys, one who went by the name of Shikamaru, and just from the look of his face, I knew he was the laid back type of guy. His hair was styled into a pineapple kind of cut, and I supposed I wanted to know why he chose to have it that way, but I decided against asking. His dark green shirt went well with his black jeans, but I thought anything went well with black.

Sai, the artist, or so he told me was about the same height as I am. He loved to make jokes about Naruto and I won't even say what he joked about. His attire was black except for the red shirt he wore under his black button up one which he left open. From what I heard Sakura mumble, he was dating Ino.

The last of the last was a guy named Lee, his hair was cut strangely, let's just say it wasn't a style I would ever get. It was a bowl-shaped cut and it just didn't look right. He wore a green shirt with green camouflage pants. He mentioned something about youth and how it shouldn't be wasted, but he was talking so fast I couldn't understand anything of what he was saying.

Naruto brought them together and he suggested the idea to them about me taking their pictures so they could post it on Myspace, Facebook, or some other form of social network on the internet. They were up for it but I sweat-dropped when they started arguing over who would go first and last and stupid shit similar to it.

How any of these guys were friends was beyond me. How they even met was...a mystery. They didn't seem to have anything in common, so what the hell tied them together? I was about ready to rip my hair out since I had lost all patience with these guys, so I left. Yep that's right, I left. I had seen a beach not too far from where I was so I headed there...on foot...alone.

I wonder how long it will take them to realize I was gone.

Shrugging my shoulders I continues walking down the sidewalk, it was nice out, not too hot, but not cold either, though I guess in the fall it was supposed to be that way. And I loved the fall, so that was a plus, this time of year was a perfect time for photography.

So here I am, standing on the sand, in combat boots and black clothes and...oh well lets just say I looked strange standing on the beach. I'm not exactly in a suit for swimming. I strolled down the beach to a location that people seemed to stay away from. Why? There were small crabs buried under the sand. I guess they didn't want to sit on them, or let them bite their skin.

Staring out into the water, I saw the sun just a little ways above the ocean, night was approaching, but now was a perfect time to get that sunset picture. I knelt down, making sure I didn't smash any crabs that may have been hiding where knelt...hey the dark guys can have a gentle side too. I lifted up my camera after turning it on and peered through the small window again.

Snapping five this time, each picture had a different lighting from the way the sun went down. But when I lowered the piece of technology I saw a splash in the water. What was it? Curiosity sunk in and it made me wonder if I caught whatever it was with my camera. Now I couldn't wait to get this roll developed, it wasn't often I got excited about a picture but there were just those certain ones.

I would have jumped in surprise when I heard someone speak, but I didn't scare easy, even if someone crept up on me, so I was completely calm. Turning my head to the side I spotted Sakura from the corner of my eye. Did she follow me? I stood up and turned my camera off, I didn't want to waste the battery that allowed the flash and other features to operate.

"I'm not interrupting you am I."

"No you're not. Unlike Naruto did."

She laughed at my statment.

"Yeah he'll do that to you. It's just the way he is."

"How you guys are friends, is well weird."

"You'd would have to have been there from the start to understand."

I nodded with understanding. "Fair enough."

"So what are you doing?"

"Taking pictures."

"Oh, right." She giggled as her face turned red.

"Say, have you ever posed for a portrait before?"

Sakura merely looked at me with confusion on her face.

"No. Why?"

"Well, the galleries I sell my work to want me to have people in the pictures. But..never mind."

"No no no, go ahead and finish."

"Well, I'm not really an expert on taking portraits, so I need to practice it. So would you be willing to help me out?"

"I will, but I'm not so fond my pictures being in a gallery." There's her shy side again.

"No worries." I assured her, " I have to have the model's permission first. You can think about it, and let me know if you do or don't."

"Ok, deal." She held out her hand and I shook it.

"Quick question." I looked at her when she said this.

"Ok shoot."

"Why did you leave? We all started to get worried and began looking for you."

"Honestly, your friends were kind of pissing me off. I mean, who the hell starts an argument on who will go first. Its just a fucking picture." I covered my mouth since the cuss word slipped out of my mouth.

Sakura saw my reaction and burst out laughing, I never thought she would do that, especially in front of me.

"What?!" I scowled.

"You." She pointed to me. "Sasuke, I've heard a lot worse, what you said was nothing."

"Yeah but..."

"Don't worry about it."

"Fine." My face turned slightly red from embarrassment.

Sakura suddenly pulled out her phone, she had received a text and from what she told me, her friends were looking for us. She sent a text back, but I don't know what it said.

"Hey, do you like coffee?"

"Not particularly, I'm more of a tea kind of person, like my mom."

"Well my friends want us to meet them at a the coffee shop, they wanted to head there after they found you, but I got to you first so want to go? They have tea too."

"Fine fine, but I'd like to try a portrait first." I turned the camera back on, I think I might have to get another battery, powering it on and off can wear out the battery just as if you'd kept the camera on.

"Ok, what do you want me to do?"

She watched me as I looked around the beach, I spotted a large boulder and gestured for her to follow me. I explained what I wanted her to do, and she agreed. Sitting on the boulder, she leaned back on her hands and looked to the sky. The way the sun sat on the horizon and surrounded her with a soft red glow, made her look radiant. She was beautiful actually. I hadn't realized I had been staring at her until she spoke up, snapping me from my thoughts.

"Are you done yet?"

"Uh, just a minute?" Damn it, I can't believe I lost my cool like that. Boy I bet I looked pretty stupid just standing there.

Kneeling down again, I aimed the camera towards her at an angle. Snap once. Twice. Three times. I stood up and walked so I was in front of her and snapped a picture of her from that angle as well. I asked her to turn her head towards the horizon and she obliged. Snap again. Now that was a good one, or least I hopped it would be.

She looked at me, as I nodded my head, silently saying she could move. Standing to her feet she stretched out her arms and looked at the sun.

"Hold it there." I took one more quick picture and that was it.

She smiled at me, she seemed to be doing that a lot. But I didn't mind, her smiles were...amazing.

* * *

Sakura and I headed down the street, the coffee shop wasn't too far from where we were so we walked. Her friends offered to come get us, but we declined. It was peaceful to just walk out here. We weren't a couple in love, but just a couple of people enjoying the evening. Well I was enjoying it until my phone rang.

I sighed and reached into my pocket and pulled it out. I answered it quickly and Sakura noticed that argument I had with the person on the other line. I muttered a 'fine' and hung up on the person on the receiving end.

"Everything ok?" Sakura glanced at me.

"No, there was an accident a little ways away from here and my employer wants me to go and take pictures. He's the editor and all."

"Oh I see."

Was it just me or did she seem disappointed.

"I guess you have to leave now right?"

"Yeah, but hey we'll see each other again. I mean you're still helping me with those portraits right?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I guess I'll see you late then."

"Sure." We exchanged contact numbers so we could set up the next portraits and what not.

When we parted, I had this strange feeling that we were being watched. I tried to shake that nagging but it just got worse. I couldn't help but feel something bad was gong to happen. Maybe not now, maybe not tomorrow, but soon, very soon. Something told me someone was going to get hurt but I didn't know who. I'm not talking about hurt in the emotional sense, but physically.

* * *

I arrived home utterly exhausted. Fang was waiting for me by the front door, he always did this, just to make sure I got home safe. Those damn news reporters liked to get in the way. I had gotten some good pictures and they wanted to buy them off me, which I quickly denied. I wasn't going to give away my pictures just so they could have the story.

Damn those people, I swear, if I wasn't such a calm guy, I would have seriously given them a few reasons to back off. And I'm not talking about reasons from my mouth, but with some physical reasons instead.

My parents had already gone to bed, or they were in the study, I don't know and right now, I don't care. Eh whatever, tomorrow would come and hopefully I can get my pictures uploaded to my laptop.

I sighed as I changed into a pair of black pants, I decided to go with out a shirt tonight. For some reason, it was just too hot. Besides if I got cold I had a blanket and Fang would be there too, his fur was thick he would keep me a little warm even if it was just on my back. Crawling into my bed, I helped Fang up onto it as well, I was about to fall asleep when I realized I would need to get up early to have the pictures developed.

The newspaper wanted the pictures before they sent out the paper to its customers. I sighed with frustration and fell asleep, I was just tired and wanted to get some sleep.

**A/N Alright, read and review! Damn I've been on a roll lately, story after story after story...ok I'll stop. **

**Damn three o'clock in the morning, time for me to head to bed.**

**Shoot I have work tomorrow too or is it today lol. Oh well, at least I go in late haha.**

**Review please! I'll let you hug Fang. Hehe who could resist the little husky. =P  
**


	3. Getting Closer

**Getting Closer  
**

~And take one step closer to you  
I just take one step closer to you  
Even when I've fallen down  
My heart says follow through  
I take one step closer to you~

I flipped through the pictures that I had just gotten developed as I tucked a flash drive away into my back pocket, that had my pictures on it, which I would upload to my computer later on when I returned home. I was surprised when I saw that the one I had taken of the sunset had a dolphin jumping out of the water.

_'So that was what made that splash.'_ Very random if you ask me, but still a good picture nonetheless.

This was the one I was excited about. I've never caught an aquatic animal in my pictures before. And I might just have to go to an aquarium to get some more.

The next ones were of Sakura which, I'll be honest, are incredibly beautiful. I tried not to smile but it just somehow made its way to my lips, which had a black ring on the left side. I wonder what she would say about these. Would she agree, or turn into the shy girl who was reluctant to have the pictures taken in the first place?

I was wearing an all black attire which matched my ring, my pants were just plain jeans, except for the chain hanging down my side. I had on a long-sleeved black shirt with a skull and crossbones on it. I had my rings from before on my fingers along with my chain necklace, I always wore that, it was my thing. My combat boots were worn as usual, small scuff marks were visible but they were old, they were bound to get them anyway,

I shrugged an skipped through the rest of the pictures and found the ones my employer wanted, guess I should go drop these off. He'd be pretty pissed if I don't, and I really don't want to get fired for not getting him the pictures from my first task from him. That would just be unprofessional of me. Who the hell am I kidding? Why should I give a shit if I'm professional or not?

Shaking my head, and made my way to the building where the newspaper corporation was located. Money is money I guess, even though I make enough from the galleries I sell to.

* * *

I walked home, after I had dropped off the pictures. The man was pretty happy to have those and the paper was already being printed. I shook my head, my boss was weird, weirder than Naruto, wow, that's really amazing, no one was weirder than Naruto, well that I met so far, but he is.

I suddenly paused with those thoughts when I felt my phone ringing in my pocket. I pulled it out and looked at the caller, my eyes widened, it was Karin. Not wanting to talk to her I simply hit the ignore button on my phone. She called me earlier as well, can't she take the hint that I don't want to talk to her. God damn, when will she get a life instead of screwing with mine.

I pocketed my phone and continued walking, but I had to sigh in annoyance when it ended up ringing again. I rollled my eyes and pulled it back out, but it wasn't Karin this time, it was Juugo. I raised a brow at why he would call, but I shrugged and answered anyway, he was my closest friend after all.

"Hello."

"Hey Sasuke, how are you doing?"

"I'm fine, met some strange people yesterday."

I heard him laugh at my statement before asking, "...Meet any girls you like?"

"Juugo shut up."

"Haha I know that tone, you did meet someone."

"No, I just met a girl named Sakura and-"

"You like her."

"Would you stop that?" I scolded jokingly.

"Fine fine. Anyway, the reason why I called is because I'm heading to where you are in a few days, to do some business for my boss. Would your parents mind if I stayed with you guys? I really don't want to stay at a hotel."

"Oh and why not?" I smirked even though I knew why.

"You know very well what happened."

I smirked. Juugo had stayed at a hotel before and well let's just say it was a very dirty room. I'm not talking, dirt or dust, the place was just disgusting and I really don't feel like reliving those images I had when he told me about it. I shuddered and shook my head.

"Yeah, I'll ask my parents tonight, it'll be cool with them. You can stay in Itachi's old room."

"Ok cool."

Being too busy talking, I hadn't noticed when I bumped into someone until I fell to the ground and my phone landed by my side along with the small pack of pictures, I thank god they didn't fall out. I heard Juugo calling for me as I sighed. The other person in front of me was on the ground as well. I looked up and to my surprise it just happened to be Sakura.

She was wearing a pair of black jeans and a pink shirt that had a red rose printed on the front. Her pink flip-flops were slightly dirty seeing as how we fell to the ground. A few dust marks were present on her pants but she didn't seem to notice.

She looked up and saw that it was me and immediately started apologizing. I shook my head and stood to my feet before kneeling down to pick up my phone and the pictures. I placed my mobile back against my ear as I tucked the pictures under my arm so I could offer her a hand to help her up, which she took with an embarrassed 'thanks'.

"Sasuke you ok?"

"Yeah Juugo I'm fine, I just ran into a friend."

"Oh, who would that be?"

"Sakura."

"Oh well I'll just leave you two lovebirds alone."

"Juugo, I'm gonna kick your ass."

I didn't get to finish my sentence to him since he had hung up, that little rat, or should I say big rat, I mean he is tall. I brought my phone down and glared at it with my eye twitching. Sakura looked at me strangely, silently asking me if I was ok. I tucked my phone into my pocket and looked to her.

"It's nothing. My friend Juugo is being a pain in the ass."

She giggled then smiled at me before saying, "I didn't know I'd meet you out here. What a small world."

"Yeah, so what are you doing out so early?" I questioned to keep the silence at bay.

"I was at the hospital; I'm a nurse over there in the mornings. I help the elderly people with their medications."

"Oh, that's cool." I suddenly remembered the pictures and pulled them out. "...Hey you know those portraits I took of you."

"Yeah."

"Want to see them?"

She nodded nervously; I assumed she was worried that they may have come out horribly. When I handed them to her she looked at them and I saw her relax slightly. I knew she calmed and probably thought they weren't so bad. In fact, I think her eyes may have lit up happily from some of them. Maybe she wouldn't be so shy about it in the future.

"What do you think?"

"Um, they're good."

"There's something else isn't there?"

"Well, its just a little embarrassing to be seeing myself in portraits like those."

I smirked and shook my head. "You look fine, and you really do look beautiful."

I think she may have turned several different shades of red when I said that. And I myself could not believe I let that slip out of my mouth. I hope I didn't freak her out, I mean well, I don't know what I mean. Fuck.

"Hey look I-"

She suddenly reached up to me and kissed me lightly on my cheek. It was my turn to blush, though it may not have been as bad as hers, but still for me it was. When she pulled away she looked down to the ground shyly. I wish she would stop doing that.

"Thank you."

"For what?" I seriously have no idea why she thanked me.

"A lot of guys like to say I'm hot or something, even my ex-boyfriends did so. But calling me beautiful is what I take as a serious compliment." She smiled and looked up at me. "Thanks, I've never been called beautiful before."

"No problem." I muttered as calmly as I could as she handed back the pictures to me.

"So...Where are your friends?"

"You mean our friends?" She smirked teasingly at me.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

"They're most likely at home, sleeping, well except Hinata and Neji, they always get up early."

"Well, its about nine almost ten o'clock, want to join me for breakfast?" I asked just to be polite, and because of some strange feeling in my chest which I quickly ignored as I set the pictures in my pocket, even if they stuck out slightly, but I had deep pockets so it didn't matter, they would stay.

"That would be great."

We headed off to a small diner where they served just about any breakfast item you could think of, including some creatively different ones that seemed strange. I just ordered some hash browns and toast, while Sakura decided on having eggs, bacon and toast.

The waitress kept looking at me strangely, like I was going to rob the place and hold them at gunpoint or something. She is an older woman so I guess I couldn't really blame her for not understanding my generation's style of clothing, even if a lot of people wear this kind of thing. Well where I live there were a lot people anyway.

As Sakura and I waited for our food to arrive, she tapped her fingers on the table. A nervous habit perhaps? She was thinking, the look on her face was enough to give that away, and I was curious as to what she was thinking of.

I shook her from her thoughts. "Hey, you ok?"

"Huh? Oh yeah I'm fine."

I was a little skeptical, but dropped the subject anyway. I didn't want to butt into her life where she didn't want me.

"Sasuke." I looked to her when she called me. "...Um, do you think-" She stopped suddenly before adding. "Nevermind."

I was about to tell her to continue with what she wanted to say, but our food had arrived so I let the subject go, until later that is. We ate in silence for the first few minutes, before I decided to get the conversation started, even if I'm horrible at it.

"So, what kind of music are you into?" Not a bad question, but not really a good one either._ 'Good going Sasuke, she probably thinks you have problems.'_ I kicked myself mentally for not coming up with a better thing to ask. But to my relief she responded normally, maybe she didn't have a problem with it.

"Well I like to listen to some rock, and pop. I guess whatever appeals to me, whether is be lyric wise or by the music. What about you?"

"I'm into hard rock and metal. I guess I like acoustic stuff too since I actually play an acoustic guitar."

She seemed to almost sputter when she took a sip from her glass. Was she not expecting me to say that? I looked at her with my eyebrows raised, as if asking 'what'. She calmed herself before she gave me an answer.

"You don't seem like the kind of guy that would play a guitar like that. I figured you'd play like an electric guitar or something." She smiled softly as she said it.

"A lot of people assume that. I just shrug it off, I really don't care what they think, I love music like I love photography."

"Why don't you go for a record deal?"

"I don't know, I'm not really into the whole getting mobbed by fans and having to have bodyguards everywhere thing."

"Oh ok, I see your point."

"How about you? What are your hobbies besides anything related to the hospital?"

"I like to swim, but for fun, not competitions. Uh there's just taking walks, you know, I don't really have anything except maybe art. I've tried archery once, but I wasn't any good at it, it was fun though. "

"You ever think of trying it again?" I couldn't help but ask. Truthfully I was into archery myself, but I didn't have time for it because of my photography work and having to put together portfolios for the galleries. I wonder if I was still any good at it.

"Maybe, but it's kind of boring doing it alone." She sighed.

"What if you had company?"

"Then I'd start doing it again."

That got me thinking and I started to wonder if there were any archery ranges around here. I'd have to ask a few people, if not one, maybe we could go over there when we get out of here.

After we had finished eating, I paid our bill and we headed out. I asked her to wait outside a shop, while I went inside to ask about any archery places. I didn't want to spoil the surprise, she would have to wait and see what I was up to. I was lucky when I talked to an elderly man who said there was an archery range a few blocks down.

I thanked him and left, soon I found Sakura being harassed by two guys. One was about an inch shorter than me, his blond hair was short and a little darker than Naruto's or Ino's. His ragged clothing told me he didn't care what he looked like, and I figured he was a trouble maker like his friend who was taller than him, with black hair and somewhat the same style of clothing.

Rolling my eyes, I formed a glare on my face and head towards them when the one with the blond hair grabbed Sakura by the arm. I placed my hand on his shoulder and forced him to look at me. He probably thought he was tough and could take me in an instant, when he threw the first punch I caught it and forced him to the ground causing him to release the hold he had on Sakura.

"Hey man, what the hell?!"

His friend saw he was in trouble and came at me as well, that move resulted in the same position as his friend. I leaned down to look at them.

"Get the fuck out of here before you really pay for it."

They seemed to get the message and by the look in their eyes, I could tell something was up with them. I don't know if they were drunk or high but either way, they were both out of it and took off running, stupid cowards. I hate people like that, they start something but get scared and leave when they are told to. But as long as it got them away from Sakura I could care less.

Sakura turned to me with wide eyes, she was a little shaken up so I wrapped an arm around her shoulder and lead her down the sidewalk. Maybe some of the archery would help take her mind off of what happened. There's no telling what those guys could have done to her if I hadn't been there with her today.

"You okay?" I asked as I dropped my arm from her shoulder.

"Yeah and thanks for the save."

"No problem."

* * *

Sakura shot the arrow and managed to hit the target, though it wasn't a bullseye, it was better than missing like she did so many times just a little while earlier. I smirked and raised my bow and aimed at the target next to hers, I focused before releasing it and hitting it dead center. She looked at me with disbelief.

"Damn, you're good. You've hit that bullseye everytime you shot it. How do you do it?"

"I just focus on the target and pretend its someone I hate and aim at them."

She laughed at what I said and nodded. "I think I'll try that."

"Stealing my tricks now?"

She stuck her tongue out at me. "So what? Nothing you can do about it?"

I smirked when she turned to aim at the target, I crept up behind her and just as she was about to release the string, I poked her sides causing her to jump and miss the target. The arrow ended up hitting the net set up behind the targets so it wouldn't damage the wall. This was an indoor range and it would look tacky with holes and marks everywhere.

Sakura turned to me with a glare and I simply put my bow down and ran out the door. She followed me after setting her bow down as well. She was mad at me, but I didn't care, its funny seeing her like this. Her face was slightly red from anger or embarrassment, I think its anger, she chased me until we reached the park where met up with her friends from before.

She caught me by the waist which forced me to stop. I turned to face her, her face came close to mine as if she were going to kiss me. My eyes widened when she grabbed the ring that was in my lip and pulled on it, causing me to groan with pain.

"Sakura let go."

"Why?"

"Sakura I'm serious, this isn't funny."

When she looked into my eyes she knew I wasn't kidding and immediately let go. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I mean I-"

"It's fine, I don't like people grabbing onto my lip ring, friend, family or not."

"Can I ask why?"

"Someone pulled it before and ended up tearing my lip slightly. It took forever for it to heal back up so I could wear the ring again."

"Ouch, sounds like that hurt." She bit her lip, which I noticed she does when she feels like she's in trouble.

"It's ok, I'm not mad."

"You sure?"

"Yeah I am."

Nodding, she walked forward and grabbed my hand. I wonder where she's planning on taking me. I noticed there weren't a lot of people out here, its early so I guess its understandable.

"Fang would love this." I said to myself, not really realizing I said it out loud until Sakura turned to stare at me.

"Who's Fang?"

"My dog, didn't you see him when you, Naruto and Hinata came to my parents house?"

"I don't remember seeing him."

"I'll have to introduce you to him one of these days then." I felt a smile tug my lips but I forced it back.

"What kind of dog is he?"

"A Siberian husky."

"Seriously? I have a Siberian husky too."

"No kidding, that's just too weird. Where did you get uh, boy or girl?"

"Girl."

"Where did you get her?"

"A place a few hours away from here. They had a litter of puppies, but they were all taken when I got there. But the owner had a few dogs at the pet store and one happened to be a three week old husky."

"Wait, was it at the pet store owned by a Mr. Sarutobi?"

"Yeah, how do you know that?"

"That's where I got Fang. I got him from that litter of puppies he had. He raised dogs like that all the time."

"This is really weird. Did you live up there or something?"

"Yeah, I used to. I moved here to stay with my parents until I find a place of my own."

"I was visiting friends when I was up there. Makes me wonder where you were hiding when you were there."

"Haha." I sarcastically muttered.

"We'll have to bring our dogs to the park together some time. Huskies love to play, so if they were with each other they wouldn't tire us out so quickly."

"True, how about tomorrow? We can work on some more portraits of you."

"Ok, its a date then." She blushed before stammering. "For the dogs. A date for the dogs is what I was saying."

She grinned sheepishly and walked away. I caught up to her and we walked in a comfortable silence. We only stopped when we heard crying, I turned my head as Sakura followed my gaze. There was a young boy about the age of seven or eight, sitting on the park bench. Sakura looked to me as I returned the gesture to her.

I shrugged and made my way over to him with Sakura right behind me. I knelt down in front of him, his brown hair was a little messy, his blue jeans and black shirt were slightly dirty. When he felt my presence there he looked to me and flinched back slightly.

"Hey, it's okay, I'm not going to hurt you."

He looked at me suspiciously until he realized I was telling him the truth. He hopped off the bench and wrapped his arms around my chest, hugging me as if he wanted me to protect him. I looked up at Sakura who shrugged her shoulders. She knelt down to my level as the boy released me when I pulled his arms apart.

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked him as he wiped his eyes.

"I'm lost, I got split from my mommy and daddy." I smiled inwardly at his word choice. It should have separated but I didn't bother to say anything.

"Where were you when you got lost."

"I don't know." He started to cry again.

"Let's take him to the police station, his parents are bound to show up there." Sakura agreed with me and we headed to the police department. I carried the boy in the arms since he refused to let go of me when I stood up.

When we arrived we stepped inside and noticed police officers leading away criminals. What caught our attention though were an older couple, around their thirties, talk quickly to an officer who tried hard to keep up with what they were saying. We walked forward and caught bits of their conversation, one part was that they were looking for a boy that fit the kid in my arms, description.

"Excuse me."

The couple turned to me and spotted their son in my arms. They ran and took him as the boy cried and the mom let tears of relief fall down her face. They turned to me and Sakura and thanked us, well mostly me since I had carried their son in.

"How can we ever thank you?" The man asked.

"No thanks are necessary."

"Thank you." The woman turned to Sakura after saying her 'thanks' to me. "You have an amazing boyfriend."

"Oh he's not-"

"Thanks again you guys."

I nodded as the three left. The police officer that was dealing with them nodded his thanks as well. I think he was just happy to not have to hear them talk any more.

"Well that was embarrassing."

"What the thanking part or the mistaken boyfriend part?"

She hit me in the shoulder for that one.

* * *

I was typing on my computer at the dining room table. I had loaded my pictures onto the hard drive and was in the process of naming each file with a title that I wanted to use in the gallery, the ones of Sakura excluded, until I have her permission that is. Though I'm curious as to if she will allow her pictures to be used or not. I hope she will say yes, they are really beautiful and amazing pictures and would surely be appreciated by the gallery owners.

Fang nudged my foot and I looked down to him. I gave a small smile, he needed to go out to do his business. "Come on boy."

I stood from my seat and led him to the backyard. I opened the door and watched him run outside. To my surprise, he wasn't going to the bathroom, he wanted to play. The way he laid on the grass and pawed at the ground was proof of that. I chuckled at him as I shook my head and ran over to him, my parents back yard was pretty big, we had plenty of room.

Looking into his eyes, I inched towards him as he jumped up from his spot and took off. I growled and ran after him, it was pretty tough, I mean I was fast and everything, but no where near as fast as Fang is. So I opted to try and corner him into the fence, would have worked if he hadn't slipped through my legs and dashed towards the other side of the yard.

Groaning I thought of something else that would help me get him. The idea came to me, his favorite toy would get him to stop running from me, and it just happened to be laying on the grass near the back porch. I think he may have saw me spot his toy, because when I ran for it, he followed my example and tried to get to it first. Seeing as how I was closer, I grabbed it first only to have Fang jump into my back and knock me down.

"Down Fang." I struggled with him, he was attempting to get his toy by distracting me by trying to lick my face.

After I finally managed to get up my phone rang in my pocket. I pulled it out and answered it. It was Juugo again, I threw Fang's toy which was a thick rope type thing and he chased after it.

"Hey Juugo what's up?"

"So what'd your parents say? I need to know so I can plan properly."

"They said it was fine with them."

"Thank them for me will ya?"

"Yeah okay."

"I got to go, I have another call coming in."

"Alright later."

Tucking my phone back into my pocket I knelt down to Fang who had brought the toy back and snatched it from him. We resumed our 'Game' or whatever you'd call it. Fang ended up snagging the toy and taking off. I gave up chasing him, the little husky was just too fast. Maybe I should work out some more to get my stamina and speed up so I could keep up with him. Fang brought the toy back every now again to have me throw it or to play a game of Tug o' War.

* * *

I wasn't all too thrilled when my parents decided to go out to eat tonight. I was stuck in the back seat of the car, hoping we weren't going to some fancy restaurant or something. It couldn't have been though, my parents were dressed in casual clothes. My mom wearing a red shirt with a black knee-length skirt, my dad had on blue jeans and a brown shirt. I was taken by surprise when we stopped at a house. Where exactly were we eating?

When they got out of the car I followed them and stepped out of the vehicle. We walked up the steps that led to the front door, my parents knocked on the door and who opened it? Well would you be surprised if it was Sakura? I was confused as we stepped inside the house. From the kitchen came, I'm guessing Sakura's parents, and they greeted us. When the four older adults left, I gave a confused look to Sakura.

She smiled. "Turns out, our parents are friends. They wanted to have dinner together and they invited me over since you were coming."

"Wow, you see how well I'm clued in. My parents wouldn't say anything to me in the car." I rolled my eyes as she laughed. "We're just seeing way too much of each other."

I saw her face go from one of being happy, to of being sad. Did she take me serious on that comment?

"I was kidding."

A rush of relief washed over her. "Oh, I thought you didn't like me."

I was about to retort on how we had that 'date' tomorrow for the dogs, but I held my tongue and kept quiet. She thought too much on things, and I think I'm gonna aim to change that.

**A/N Another chapter done. One Night will be updated soon, along with Let Me In. **

**Other than that I have no other news. Read and review please.**

**~Kakashi500  
**


	4. Falling Again

Falling Again

~I feel like I'm falling for you  
But I'm scared to  
I'm scared cause my heart has been hurt  
It's true I've become a skeptic  
How many couples really love  
Just wish I had a crystal ball  
To show me if it's worth it all~

I was laying face down on my bed with my face buried in my pillow. My back was exposed to the cool air that flowed from the vent in my ceiling, I had gone without a shirt again last night, its actually more comfortable for me when I sleep.

Last night Sakura and I learned more about each other when our parents and us had dinner together, I got to meet her parents, and I have to say hers and mine are alike. When they got together, well damn they just love to embarrass their kids. I had learned she has had a few boyfriends, one who tried to rape her. She had ended up crying slightly when she told me about it, I'm amazed she trusts me that much. I had to leave before I answered her question about my past relationships, so I'm positive she'll ask me today.

I groaned quietly when I felt something hit me on my back. I lifted my head and turned it to the side only to see Sakura with a spare pillow. She hit me with it.

"What the hell was that for?!"

"For you to get up!" She exclaimed with a giggle.

"I don't recall asking you to be my alarm clock."

"Well too bad." She laughed and hit me again.

It was childish and really not my thing, but I ended up sitting up on my knees and grabbing my pillow to hit her with. I don't think she was expecting that. I threw my pillow at her which she blocked as I jumped off of my bed and reached over to her then grabbed her in a headlock.

"Ah! Sasuke let go!"

"Why? You started it all."

She struggled in my grasp and I tripped over her foot which sent us both falling to the floor. I'm pretty sure my parents may have heard the loud thump from downstairs. What was really embarrassing was the fact that she landed on top of me. Her face heated up since her hands were pressed against my bare chest.

We were both too busy looking into each others eyes, so we didn't bother moving. My bedroom door opened and my parents walked in, most likely wondering what was going on. They stopped when they saw the position Sakura and I were in, which only caused them to smirk.

"Well if you wanted some time with Sakura you should go somewhere private." My mother giggled as my face turned red.

Sakura's face went pink, which put her hair to shame. She instantly got off of me and stood up all the while fidgeting nervously.

"Uh, nothing happened." I muttered as I scratched the back of my head and stood up.

"Sure." My father said, obviously trying to tease and embarrass me.

What the hell is wrong with parents? Any chance they get they embarrass the kids they try so hard to gain the trust of. And they wonder why kids never tell them anything.

"I'm serious." I stated.

"Quit lying to yourself Sasuke." My mom was the worst out of the two.

I shook my head and muttered a 'whatever' and crossed my arms, which only made her smile sweetly. Changing the subject, I turned to Sakura and decided to talk to her and ignore my parents.

"So why are you here?"

"For the dogs, remember? Are we taking them to the park or not?"

"Oh right."

I briefly forgot about the plan we made. My parents left, but still muttered quickly to themselves about Sakura and I. Now I can't wait to get out of the house just to avoid them.

"Um, can you wait about twenty minutes, I need to shower and get dressed."

"Oh uh sure."

"I have a laptop over there if you want to use it to browse the internet or play a game or something." I pointed to a desk where my computer sat.

"Do you have solitaire?"

"You like that game?"

"Yeah. You don't?"

"Not really, its not challenging enough."

"Just hurry up and take your shower so we can go."

I laughed...wait I laughed, damn I haven't done that in a while. I grabbed a pair of black jeans, not the ones with the chains, since I might be running around with Fang, from my closet along with a long sleeve black shirt that had two bones crossed in an 'X' with a skull that sat on top of them. The words 'Love Kills' were printed above them in white lettering, out lined in red.

I headed into my bathroom to take my shower, knowing Sakura could entertain herself during that time until I got out. I don't know what she planned to do, but I guess I didn't care, I don't have anything to hide.

* * *

After my shower I stepped out of the tub and dried myself with the towel setting on the small shelf in the bathroom. I slipped on my pants and my socks, I was about to slip on my shirt when I saw that there was a whole in the collar of it. I muttered to myself, I think Fang may have gotten a hold of this one, I only chuckled to myself, crazy pup.

I opened the door and spotted Sakura messing with my guitar, I raised my brow at her when she looked at me. She looked away embarrassingly, was she trying to play it?

Shaking my head I walked over to my closet to grab a different shirt, I think she may have been staring at me, so I turned my head to her.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Liar."

"Shut up." She puffed her cheeks and crossed her arms.

"Serious what are you staring at?"

"I was looking at your tattoos."

"Oh, why didn't you say so?."

"To make you mad." She grinned at me as I sweat-dropped.

Rolling my eyes I grabbed another long sleeved black shirt with a skull that had a silver dagger stabbed through the head of the skull, the end of the knife exited out of the right eye, the eyes were creased down as if it were angry. Cracks trailed down the top where the knife protruded the bone. I slipped it over my head and pulled down over my chest and stomach..

"What happened with your other shirt?"

"It has a hole in the collar, I think Fang may have gotten to it."

She giggled which caused me to turn to her. She stopped and looked away innocently.

"Let's see you play that guitar."

She frowned at this and I could only smirk. She stood up and walked over to me with a grin on her face.

"What are you doing?"

I leaned against the closet door as her face came close to mine. I think I may have turned red at some point and she grinned even wider.

"What's the matter Sasuke? Are you embarrassed?"

I gritted my teeth and dodge away from her I grabbed my combat boots and put them on. Snatching my wallet and my phone I put them in my pockets as I grabbed my lip ring and put it in my lip. I also picked up my usual chain necklace and then my rings for my fingers and thumbs. All the while Sakura was giggling at my actions.

"Let's just go." I mumbled as I left the room, she trailed not too far behind me.

We made it down stairs and I looked around for Fang. That's weird, where is he? He's always around me somewhere, its a surprise he actually isn't.

"He's outside." Sakura told me. "He's playing with Raven."

"Raven is that what you named your dog?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Nothing, its an interesting name."

I walked towards the back door and opened it, Fang and Raven immediately stopped their game of tug o' war with Fang's favorite toy and looked at Sakura and I. Their ears perked up and they charged towards us.

"Uh oh, incoming." Sakura laughed as Fang and Raven jumped at me, and ran around my legs, which caused me to trip over them and fall to the ground.

After that they ran over to Sakura who knelt down to them and pet them. I growled quietly when Sakura looked up at me, she laughed and stood then offered me a hand to help me up. Boy dogs sure can embarrass people too.

* * *

Sakura and I sat on the park bench as we watched Fang chase Raven around a few yards from where we were. After awhile, she turned to me, her eyes looking at me questioningly.

"So Sasuke, shall we continue our conversation from last night?"

I shrugged. "If you want to."

"I do, so go ahead it was your turn to talk about your past relationships."

"There's not really anything to say." I told her as I played with the rings on my fingers. "I've only had one serious relationship and that quickly went to hell, other girls I've dated only used me to make a guy jealous."

"Then what happened with the relationship you did have?"

"My ex loved to party more than spend time with me." I leaned forward and rested my arms on my legs, not even knowing why I was sharing this with her. "She just used me, so I left her, she has tried calling me several times but I just ignore it."

"I'm sorry." She told me as I looked at her. "You shouldn't have had to been put through that."

"Its no big deal," I said as I turned my gaze to the two dogs, "I'm used to it by now. Being used seems to be my purpose in life."

She seemed to notice the look in my eyes, a look that showed loneliness, hurt and maybe even fear.

"That's not your purpose Sasuke."

"How do you know? All my life I've only had one real friend aside from Fang, and that person is Juugo." I sighed softly. "If it wasn't for him, I probably wouldn't be here right now."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing, I've already said too much."

I was surprised when she reached over and grabbed my hand, which caused me to look at her.

"Tell me Sasuke, I want to understand and help you."

"There's nothing to help with." I hesitated before I told her. "There were a few times when I attempted to take my own life."

Her eyes widened as I looked away, she was shocked I knew, but she asked for it by wanting to know about me. I felt her grip on my hand tighten, I turned to her when she called my name.

"I want to be someone that you can trust, just don't try to take your life again. Can you promise me that?"

"I can't make any promises, but I'll try."

"Well, that's not the answer I was hoping for, but its a start." She smiled at me.

"Yeah well, I don't like to make promises, only when I know I can assure that promise."

"I'll make sure you fulfill this one."

"Sakura!" We turned when we spotted Ino running towards us.

She stopped upon seeing Sakura's hand in mine, which caused her to grin slyly. "Well what's this?" She pointed to our joined hands.

I glanced at Sakura who looked at me, we both snatched our hands back and turned away nonchalantly.

"Oh don't try to play that card with me."

"What do you want Ino?" Sakura asked changing the subject.

"The gang is going to the water park, you guys want to go?"

"Sure," Sakura replied.

"What about you Sasuke?" Ino asked me.

"Uh.."

"He'd love to go, we'll meet you there."

"Great, see you guys there in about twenty minutes."

"Ok." Sakura and I watched as Ino took off again.

I gave Sakura a look of disbelief, as she turned to stare at me.

"Oh come on, you need to get out more."

I rolled my eyes and stood from the bench, I lifted my middle finger and thumb to my lips which helped me give out a loud whistle. Fang turned to me and rushed over with Raven following close behind.

"How did you learn to do that?"

"Do what?"

"That whistling thing."

"I don't know, I just practiced at it, and I just did it."

"I wish I could whistle like that."

"I can try and teach you sometime."

"Yeah right."

I picked up Fang's leash from the bench and clipped it on his collar as Sakura did the same with Raven. Fang soon walked around me in a circle going behind Sakura as Raven walked around her and then me going the opposite way Fang went.

I should have been more alert to what they were doing but it was too late when the leashes tightened and forced Sakura and me together. They kept moving which made me fall with Sakura not far behind. She landed on top of me, our legs were tangled with each others, let's just say it was a very awkward position.

"Um, I..."

"Yeah uh.."

I tried moving but the leashes were preventing me from doing so. I looked to the dogs since they were just sitting there staring at us. I shook my head at Fang, I think he planned this, he did like Sakura more than he ever did Karin.

* * *

After a lot of struggling, we finally managed to get out of the hold of the leashes. Now we were walking down the sidewalk back towards my parents house. I offered to drive us to the water park after we stopped off at her house so she could grab her swimsuit and whatever else she needed.

Once we arrived to the house, I opened the door as she followed me inside. We were greeted by my mother who just came from washing dishes in the kitchen. She looked at us before giving a small smile.

"What are you guys doing back so soon?"

"Sakura's friend wants us to meet her at the water park, I came to get my stuff and drop off Fang."

"Why not leave Raven here too? Fang could use some company while you're gone."

"Is that okay with you Mrs. Uchiha?"

"Of course and call me Mikoto, I told you that at dinner last night."

"Oh right, sorry." Sakura grinned sheepishly.

"I'll be back in a minute."

I ran up the stairs to my room and grabbed a duffel bag that was in the closet. I searched around before finding my swimming trucks, and can you guess what color they were? Black! Of course they were black, I just love that color, though they weren't solid black, it had a some red in it that faded in with the darker color.

I went into the bathroom and grabbed one of the towels and stuffed it in my bag along with a spare set of clothes, hey you never know. My eyes shifted around the room as I tried to think if there was anything else I needed. I didn't need any sunscreen, it wasn't that hot outside since it was early in the fall, it was still warm out, but not enough to need the sunscreen.

Deciding it would be a good idea to leave my accessories at home, I removed my necklace and rings, but I kept the lip ring since it wasn't a big deal to wear it at the water park. I guess I had everything I needed so I headed out of my room and back downstairs. I saw Sakura still by the door talking to my mom. I wonder what they were talking about, because as soon as I approached them they stopped speaking.

Being a little suspicious I eyed them but they only gave me innocent smiles. I shook my head and gestured for Sakura to follow me as we left the house. We would come back after we went to the water park to pick up Raven then I would take her home, I didn't want her to walk home especially after the incident with those guys before.

* * *

I stuffed my bag into the locker I rented, it was a large one, I figured instead of Sakura wasting money she could share mine, it was big enough for both of our stuff after all. I waited as she put on her sunscreen, she said her skin was sensitive and she could get sunburned easily. Her swim suit was a pink two piece with dark pink cherry blossom prints throughout the material.

Mine, as I said before, was just a pair of black trunks with the red mixed in them. I didn't have a shirt on, so my tattoos were revealed to everyone that looked at me. Both of us were barefoot, no shoes were really needed at this type of place.

After she finished she tossed the bottle into the locker and I shut it, we could come back for our towels later, we were probably going to be in the water most of the time so there really was no point in bringing them. I hooked the lock onto it that required a combination to even open it, so I knew no one would be able to steal our belongings.

People that rented a locker received the locks when they paid for it, the locks were never the same on the lockers so if someone wanted to break into one, they would have a hard time finding the combination.

"Ready?" I took the chance to ask her.

When she nodded we left to go meet up with her friends who said they would meet us by the snack bar. I was surprised Naruto hadn't ordered anything, I guess he was smart enough to know not to eat something before he goes into the water or down any of the slides. Ino smiled upon seeing us arrive.

"Finally, now we can have some fun."

"Yay." I muttered sarcastically as Sakura nudged me in the side with her elbow.

Sighing I followed the gang when they decided on going on the biggest water slide at the park, of course we had to wait in line for it, but they insisted so I just agreed without even knowing why. Ino and Sai were the first to go, I heard Ino screaming the entire way down as Sai went just a little while after she did.

Once all of them were gone, Naruto yelling how fun it was all the way down, it was Sakura's turn, but as she walked forward to grab the mat they had for us to sit on she stopped upon seeing how high up we were. She turned to me and I could only smirk at her actions, which she returned with a playful glare.

"What's the matter Sakura?"

"I don't want to go alone."

I noticed people behind me were getting anxious and frustrated so I walked forward to her. I took the mat and placed it at the top of the slide.

"Sit down."

"What?" She turned to me suspiciously.

She was on alert once she sat down but instantly faced me once she was seated.

"You're not going to push me are you?!"

I chuckled slightly. "No."

"Then what are yo-"

She went quiet once I sat on the mat behind her. "What are you doing?"

"You said you didn't want to go by yourself, so shut up so we can go down already."

Sakura became silent with a shy smile. "Have you ever done this before?"

"Hmm, no." I said as I suddenly pushed us off the slide without warning.

I had suppress my laugh when she screamed the whole way down, she ended up grabbing my hands since she was freaking out. The water splashed over us once we reached the bottom and we went down under the water. I came back up and grabbed the mat while she was already swimming to the edge of the pool we landed in.

She suddenly turned to me with an angry and freaked expression. "Are you crazy?! You nearly gave me a heart attack."

"Calm down." I told her as I pulled myself out of the water after throwing the mat onto the ledge.

Reaching down I grabbed her hand and pulled her out. Ino and Naruto were laughing at the look on her face, she turned red instantly.

"You know we're only kidding Sakura." Ino giggled. "I mean come on that look is priceless."

Sakura looked to me. "Sasuke will you please give me a warning next time."

"Fine, but you should have been expecting it."

"Oh haha. I'll get you back for this. I don't know when or how, but I will."

"Is that a promise?"

"Oh you bet it is."

"Alright you two, its time to go into the wave pool."

Great. This should be fun. I'm not saying I hate the water, but there are always too many people in the wave pool, considering it was a huge ass pool that could have waves brought into it whenever the workers turned on the mechanism.

Sakura pulled my arm as she ran into the water while everyone else ran ahead of us. We waded in the shallow end before going deeper which caused us to have to use our arms to swim. As we progressed further I could feel the bottom of the pool disappear beneath me. Sakura was enjoying herself as she dove under the water and came back up. Her hair was sticking to the back of her neck as she tucked a piece behind her ear.

I just leaned back on the water and laid on my back, which allowed me to float on the water's surface. I was soon interrupted when Sakura splashed me with the water, and I could only sit back up and dive under the water. She didn't know where I went so she wasn't expecting when I came up behind her. I grabbed her shoulder and she screamed loudly as everyone turned to her. She looked down as her face turned red, like it had so many times before.

"Damn it Sasuke. Don't do that."

"You just spoil everything."

She stuck her tongue out at me. I noticed that a few girls were staring at me and then swam over. One of them had dark brown hair and was wearing a very revealing two piece swim-suit. She touched my arm and gave a sly smile.

"Love your tattoos, and your muscles are so big, do you workout?"

"Yes, now could you leave?"

"Why? I'm way hotter than that piece of trash over there." I noticed she gestured to Sakura as her friends giggled at her words.

That just pissed me off.

"Piece of trash? The only piece of trash I see here is the slutty skank in front of me." The girl seemed surprised at my words. "I don't know when or how you considered yourself hot, but it was sure as hell a bad time to say it. From my standing point your just an ordinary girl who thinks she has the looks and tries her hardest to sleep with whatever man she sees coming her way."

I swam away leaving her wide eyed. I looked around for Sakura, but she was gone. Did she overhear what the girl said to her? Shit.

_'Sakura where are you?'_

It seemed like forever before I finally spotted her farther into the middle of the pool where the deeper end was. I breathed a sigh of relief and made my way over to her. She looked up and spotted me, she was about to swim away, but I caught her arm. I turned her to face me and I saw the tears in her eyes.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." She managed to say as she wiped her eyes.

"Are you upset at what those girl's said?"

When she remained silent I had my answer. "Hey, don't listen to what they say, I already handled it, she's probably feeling way worse than you are right now."

She laughed a little and gave a small smile. "There, that's better, smiling is way better than you frowning."

"Thank you."

I gave a one sided smirk, but we suddenly heard people yelling and we altered our position to see what the commotion was about. There were two men fighting in the water, they were quickly heading mine and Sakura's way. We tried to move seeing as how a bunch of people were bustling and pushing each other to get away from the fight, which resulted in me getting separated from Sakura.

I whirled around, trying to find where Sakura went, I could have sworn I heard my name being called and I did when I spotted Ino at the side of the pool near the lifeguard stand. There was a ladder so I swam over and held onto it and glanced at her.

"Where's Sakura?"

"I don't know, I got separated from her. Can you see her from up there?"

Ino stepped back as Naruto and the rest came running up to her position. Her eyes went wide and pointed out into the water. I followed her vision and spotted Sakura get hit by one of the guys, she fell back into the water. Fuck. I let go of the ladder and dove under the water, trying to dodge the people that were attempting to get out of the pool.

Once I came back to the surface I swam towards the position I saw Sakura at and dove under the water. I her as she flailed her arms desperately struggling to get back to the surface. I gripped her hand and pulled her up into my arms, she coughed as I lifted her on my back and swam as best I could back to the ladder where Neji and Naruto were waiting to pull her up. I coiled my arm around her waist and climbed up the ladder, handing Sakura to Neji and Naruto.

When she was sitting up on the ground I climbed up and knelt by her side, while Ino and Hinata were on her other with Tenten kneeling in front of her. I focused my attention to the guys in the pool and noticed the lifeguard trying to break up the fight. Shaking my head I stood and ran then jumped off the ledge into the water again.

I began swimming to their position, had security been notified yet? Once I was near I grabbed one of the guys and yanked him back as the lifeguard grabbed the other. I dragged the man towards the shallow end, wanting to get to solid ground before letting him go. As soon as I was there, I threw him onto the ground.

"What the hell is your problem?!" He shouted at me.

"My problem? You're the one starting the fight in the water! There are other people here that could have gotten hurt because of your stupid mistake."

The lifeguard came up to my side after handing the guy he had to the security officers that had arrived. The other officer came and grabbed the guy that was seated before me and took him away. Hn good riddance.

* * *

I slammed the locker closed after Sakura and I had retrieved our stuff after changing into our normal clothes. She smiled at me, and without me expecting it, she wrapped her arms around my torso in an embrace.

"Thanks for the save once again."

"Stop getting into trouble."

She laughed and let me go as I grabbed my bag and lifted it onto my shoulders.

"I promise." She giggled which caused me to shake my head.

It was silent in my car as I drove back to my parents place to pick up Raven. When we did it was still a quiet ride back to her house. She lived in a two story house, her parents helped her buy it, she was still paying money but it wasn't a whole lot. I stopped the car and opened my door as I stepped out, I grabbed her bag from the trunk after I had opened it.

"Well not the day I expected to have." She told me as she took her bag from my hand.

"Yeah, tell me about it."

"You were there I don't need to."

"Very funny Sakura."

She smiled at me, and every time she would, I got this feeling in my chest. I can't explain it, something was happening but I didn't know what, I'm not eve sure if I even wanted to know.

"I'll see you tomorrow I guess." She said.

"Yeah, more than likely."

We said our goodbyes and I headed home.

* * *

It was around two in the morning when I heard my phone ringing. I was shaken from my sleep and I lazily reached over to grab it. I didn't even check to see who it was before I answered it. When I heard the voice that sounded scared, I sat up immediately.

"Sakura?"

"Sasuke," She whispered quietly, "I need help."

"What's wrong?" I asked as I slid out of my bed which woke up Fang, I started getting dressed without even knowing why she needed help.

"Someone broke into my house. I think it's my ex-boyfriend."

"Where are you at?" I asked when I grabbed my keys and sprinted out of my room.

"I'm in my closet with Raven, she was the one that woke me up when she started barking."

I figured it must have been a walk in closet, since both of them are in there.

"Stay where you are, hide yourself as far into the closet as you can, I'm on my way."

"Okay."

"Just stay quiet and don't hang up okay, stay on the phone with me."

She must have nodded since she didn't respond back, I knew she was still there by the heavy breathing through the phone. I have to get there fast, anything can happen right now, and I wasn't going to let anything occur.

Once I had my boots on, I threw open the front door and closed it quickly behind me. I ran to my car and got into the driver's seat, starting the engine, I didn't even bother putting my seatbelt on when I shifted into gear and sped off down the road.

"Sasuke." She called me.

"What?"

"He's in my room, he's looking for me, I hear him calling for me."

"Stay quiet, hide behind anything you can. I'm almost there."

"Please hurry."

I drove as fast as I was allowed on the road, I won't be any good to Sakura if I get pulled over by a cop. It seemed it took me hours to get to her house, but when I finally arrived I saw the open front door. Her ex must have broken the door down.

"Sasuke!" I heard her voice through the phone followed by the sound of a man's voice, and he sounded angry.

"Sakura!" She didn't answer me back. "Shit!"

Turning my car off, I practically ripped my keys from the ignition and ran into her house. I heard her muffled screams and bounded up the stairs, going as fast as I could. When I made it to the top I looked around trying quickly to find the room she was in. As soon as she screamed again I headed into the room it came from.

What I saw, brought anger to my eyes. I ran over to the man, pulling him off of Sakura who was lying on the bed being forced down by his weight. I punched him in the jaw and knocked him to the floor. He stood back up and came at me with his fists raised, I dodged and grab his arm and bent it backwards causing him to fall onto his back.

"Get the fuck out of here! I'm calling the police!"

He took one look at me and then at Sakura. "You'll pay for this." Then he sprinted out of the room, I heard the front door slam, he probably thought I followed him and shut the door to slow me down.

I faced Sakura and slowly walked over to her huddled form on the mattress. She was shaking badly and I saw bruises appearing on her arms, my eyes softened. I walked over and sat on the bed and gently touched her shoulder which caused her to flinch, she opened her eyes and looked at me. Her eyes filled with tears as she threw herself at me. Her hold on me tightened when I wrapped my arms around her and held her head against my chest.

"Please stay, don't leave me."

"I won't...I'll stay."

**A/N Okay, I know I should have updated One Night by now, but some things have occurred which includes me going to work and having trouble with the internet. I uploaded this since it was mostly finished so you'll guys have something instead of nothing. One Night, I promise. will be updated Tuesday if not sooner.**


	5. Is It Love?

**Is It Love?**

~The last night you'll spend alone  
I'll wrap you in my arms and I won't let go  
I'm everything you need me to be~

I spent the rest of the night, well it was more like morning, but you get the point, with Sakura. I didn't know what time it was when I suddenly felt someone playing with my hair. It actually felt comforting. Opening my eyes, I stared into green orbs, which were really close to mine. I noticed my arms were around her waist, which most likely kept her from moving. I quickly let go as she gave a quiet giggle.

"Morning sleepy head." She told me.

"What time is it?" I asked as I looked around and spotted Raven at the foot of the bed.

"Around ten." She said and gave a small smile. "You know, I didn't think you'd stay all night."

"You told me not to leave, so I stayed...How are you feeling?"

"Still a little shaky, but fine thanks to you." She said and then expressed some inner turmoil before looking at me. "...Can I ask you something?"

"Uh sure?"

"Its kind of personal." She seemed reluctant at first but went ahead with what she wanted to say. "...Why did you help me all those times, and even just a few hours ago? And better yet you stayed here all night when you didn't have to."

"Honestly. I don't know; there's just something about you that makes me feel like I need to protect you." I smirked before saying. "By the way, you broke your promise."

She gave me a confused look.

"You promised you would stop getting into trouble."

She ended up laughing after that, I smirked again when she looked me in the eyes.

"Sasuke?"

"Hn."

"Uh, have you found a place of your own yet?"

"No, why?"

"Well I was wondering...would you consider...moving in here with me. We could split the payments on the house and the utilities."

"What made you decide on this?"

"I just don't want to stay here by myself anymore, especially after last night. There's no telling if he will come back or not, and I might not be able to get to a phone next time." Her face showed the fear that she was feeling. "There's plenty of room here, your bedroom could be the one downstairs or the one across the hall from this one."

I thought for a second. "I'll think about it."

She seemed satisfied with that answer and nodded. Now the only problem I had was deciding to say yes or maybe even no. I guess if I said yes, I'd get out of my parents hair, but then if I moved in here with her I might get on her nerves, oh man this is tough.

"I need to go get my phone, I left it in my car when I came running in here last night."

Sakura nodded and I got up from the bed, then left her room to head down the stairs. After opening the door I went to my car and pulled the door open, I guess I forgot to lock it, oh well. I reached inside and grabbed my phone that was sitting on the passenger side seat.

I looked at the screen and noticed I had three missed calls. One from Juugo, my mom, and Karin; damn why can't she leave me alone. I got out of my car and walked around so I could lean against the hood. I dialed Juugo's cell and held the phone against my ear. I heard him answer.

"Hello?"

"Hey Juugo, what's up?"

"Oh hey Sasuke, yeah I tried calling you earlier. Turns out I won't be needing to stay with you guys, I'm stuck here to help my boss with one of his business presentations." I knew he wasn't too happy about that, the tone of his voice was proof enough of that.

"Oh okay."

"You sound tired."

"I am."

"What were you up to last night?" He asked me slyly.

"Nothing."

"Yeah right." He laughed and then added. "...Hey I got to go, my boss just showed up. I'll have to make fun of you later."

"Juugo you have problems."

"You just noticed that now?"

"Idiot, just go I'll talk to you later."

"Alright bye."

He hung up and I shook my head, as I dialed my mom's number. It rang a few times and then I heard her voice come over the phone.

"Hey mom."

"Sasuke. Where are you? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm at Sakura's place."

"Why are you over there?"

"I ended up spending the night here."

"What?! You didn't...you know?"

"Huh? No, no." My face heated up at that thought. "She called me around two in the morning, her ex broke into her house."

"Oh no, is she okay?"

"Yeah, she is now; I got here just in time. Though I don't know where that ex of hers ran off to, but he's gone at least."

"Nice work sweetheart. Maybe she'll fall for you for saving her." I heard her laugh and I just sighed.

"Mom just stop it."

"No way, I'm going to get you two together, just you wait and see."

"Oh man, I'm almost afraid of what you could possibly plan."

"Tell me the truth Sasuke, do you like her?"

"To be honest mom....I really don't know. I feel like I do, but...I'm afraid."

"Oh honey, why would you be afraid?"

"I haven't exactly had any good relationships. I don't want to get hurt again."

"I know it's hard. But how will you know she isn't the one if you don't give her a chance?"

I thought about this for awhile, she was right. But can I let my walls down? Can I have a relationship with her? Would it be worth it? I sighed, this is going to be hard.

"Sasuke at least think about it, all right?"

"Yeah."

"I'll see you when you get home, just try to open up for her."

"I can't make any promises."

"That's what you always say."

"So what?" I chuckled. "I'll see you later."

"Ok then.

"Later."

"Bye."

I ended the call, and put the phone into my pocket. I walked back into Sakura's home and spotted her in the kitchen with Raven sitting underneath the table just hanging out. Sakura was making something and I briefly wondered what it was.

"Hey."

She jumped in surprise. "Damn it Sasuke, you scared me."

"Sorry. What are you making?"

"Homemade pancakes. Want some?"

"Uh, no, stuff like that really isn't my thing."

"Oh come on you can't tell me you don't like the syrup that goes with it."

"Actually yeah, I don't like sweet things like that, as a matter a fact I don't like sweets at all really."

"You're kidding right?" She asked me with disbelief.

"No I'm not, I really don't like sweets."

"You're crazy." She went to flick my nose, but I don't think she noticed she had flour on her fingers.

She clamped her hand over her mouth when the flour landed all over and around my nose. My eyes were closed into slits, as my nostrils flared, a frown etched onto my lips.

"Sakura..."

"What?!"

I grabbed some of the flour from the container. "You do know I have to get you back."

"No, Sasuke!" She yelled at me when I threw the flour at her. It landed all over her face and in her hair.

She glared at me and grabbed the flour and tossed some at me, it got all over my clothes and my face. I practically looked like a ghost, though she did as well.

We had spent the next half hour cleaning up the mess. She decided against the pancakes, since she didn't want them anymore. The kitchen was clean, but us on the other hand well we weren't. I glanced to the clock on her wall and noticed it was around eleven. Shit, I'm going to be late.

"Hey Sakura." I turned to her. "I need to go."

"What? Why?"

"Well I need to get home and take a shower for one, and I'm going to be late for my appointment with the tattoo artist if I don't leave now."

"You're getting another tattoo?" I nodded as she added. "Of what? And where?"

"The upper part of my back, I'm getting black angel wings."

"Wow, really?"

"Yeah."

"Would you mind if I tagged along?"

"Why?"

"I wanna see what its like, and I want to see how it comes out."

"If you want to. I'll come back in about twenty minutes to pick you up, that should give you enough time to shower." I said as I glanced at the flour all over her.

She giggled. "Okay."

* * *

I drove down the rode with Sakura in the passenger seat. After I had showered I picked her up, she was wearing a black long-sleeved shirt with her blue jeans. Black flip-flops covered her feet, she wasn't the kind of girl to paint her toenails, she just left them the way they were.

As for me, I wore my black pants with the chains on them since I had finally washed them. I wore a long sleeved-black shirt, and no I didn't copy Sakura, it just worked out that way. Her shirt was just plain black, mine had black crows sitting in the night on a tree branch, only the moonlight outlined their silhouettes as gray fog surrounded them from the back.

And as always I wore my chain necklace and of course my rings. The only other accessories were my skeleton key, it hung lower than the chain necklace, and my black lip ring, I was thinking of having my ears pierced, but that was still in the deciding stage.

We were on our way to the tattoo shop, so I could have my new one done, and she even told me she had been thinking about getting a tattoo for months now, she just didn't have the guts to go through with it.

Once we arrived, we stepped out of the car, Fang had gotten mad and barked when I left, I feel like I've been neglecting him lately. I know I have to make it up the little guy, he liked Sakura and all but he wanted some attention too.

I opened the door to the shop and held it open as Sakura walked through, I followed once she was inside. She glanced around at the walls, that had different pictures, most of which were some the tattoo artist had done himself. I looked up at the man in charge of the store, I nearly went into shock when I saw that it was someone my brother had gone to school with. Deidara.

He glanced up at me and smiled that smile I had hated back then. Like me, he had a rebellious streak, colorful ink was etched onto his skin in several places, even on his hands to make it seem as if his palms had mouths, he had way more tattoos than I thought he would have.

He stood from the spot he was cleaning since there weren't any clothes consisted of a pair of black jeans, converse and a black short sleeved shirt. his blond hair was put into a tie to keep it out of his face.

"Sasuke. Damn how long has it been?"

"A few years."

"What have you been up to you pain in the ass?"

"Yeah great, nice way of saying hi."

"What? I mean no harm by it and you know that." He grinned as he turned to Sakura. "Who's this?"

"Yeah I know, and this is Sakura."

He gave her a smile and truthfully it kind of irked me, was I getting jealous? But why? Sakura and I aren't even dating, well not yet according to my mom. I rolled my eyes at the man before me, which he noticed and returned with a mocking glare.

"Well, how about we get that tattoo done now?"

"Fine. Whatever." I muttered as he led me to one of the chairs.

Removing my shirt I set it on the counter near the seat and sat down facing the back of the chair. Deidara pulled over the tall stool he had and sat behind me. Sakura grabbed one of the spare stools and came to sit in front of me. I leaned forward as he washed his hands, then slipped on a pair of rubber gloves and grabbed the needles he would be working with.

"So, just all in black right with some gray to define the details?" I nodded as he sterilized the instrument. "Alright here we go."

It took about an hour for him to complete the tattoo, he was an excellent artist, he could have done it quicker but he wasn't in any hurry and neither was I. I had noticed Sakura cringed a few times when the tattoo was being drawn onto my skin, I only smirked at her actions. Deidara cleaned off the ink that lingered on my skin around the new mark of art.

Sakura stood from her seat and walked around to look at it, I think she smiled.

"It looks good."

"Ok you're turn."

"What?" She seemed confused by what I said. "No I don't..I mean I-"

"Sakura relax, I was only kidding, you can get one some other time if you're not ready now."

"Ok, but only as long as you'll be there when I do get it." I sighed and nodded my head for confirmation as Deidara covered the tattoo with a bandage, the skin was going to be tender there for a few days.

"Hey, just come to me." Deidara stated. "I'm here all the time and plus I can give you a discount and maybe even free."

I slipped my shirt back on. "Alright, how much do I owe you?"

"Nothing, its on the house."

"Really?"

"I just ask one favor." I nodded for him to continue. "Tell that idiot brother of yours to answer his phone, I mean I know he's married and has work and everything but he could call every now and again."

I chuckled. "Didn't you hear? Itachi has a son now."

"You're kidding right?" I shook my head no. "How old?"

"He's about three."

"Well damn, if that ain't a needle in my ass." I raised a brow at his statement. "Now you better tell him to call, I'm gonna chew him out for keeping stuff from me."

"Will do. I'll see you around."

Deidara gave a wave as Sakura and I left, he had a look of annoyance on his face, no doubt about the news of my brother. Sakura stared at me and I turned to look at her.

"What?"

"You're an uncle then?"

I sighed. "Yes."

"Have you seen your nephew?"

"Yeah last Christmas actually."

"Wow, that was a long time ago."

"Yeah well, he's running a good business which constantly needs him working." I stopped and pulled out my phone. "Hmm, maybe I'll bug him now. He should be in his office."

"You're so evil."

Rolling my eyes I dialed the number for his office. A woman's voice came from the other side. "Uchiha Corps Office, how may I help you?"

"Yeah I'd like to speak to Itachi please."

"Who should I say is calling?"

"Sasuke Uchiha."

"One moment."

I tapped my foot impatiently as Sakura giggled at my actions. A few minutes later a male's voice answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"About time you answered ass."

"Oh thanks for that hello bro." He laughed at me. "So what's up?"

"Not really anything, I just finished getting a tattoo done by Deidara."

"No kidding. How's that artsy punk doing?"

"I don't know. Why not call him yourself? He told me to tell you to answer your phone. He didn't even know you had a son Itachi. Is that how you treat your friends?" I said sarcastically.

"Oh shit, he's probably pissed at me right?"

"Well he did say he was going to chew you out." I smirked.

"Damn, that won't be a very fun conversation."

"I would guess not. So what are you doing?"

"Nothing, I'm on my lunch break, Koji is here too, Suki dropped him off a few minutes ago so she could run some errands."

"Oh, well put the little guy on."

I heard him talk to someone, no doubt Koji. I had to suprress a laugh when his small voice came on the phone. "Uncle Sauke!" He said my name missing the second "S", he may have been able to talk some but he still couldn't fully get words right.

"Hey bud, you better tell you're dad you want to come visit me."

"Kay!" He was full of energy so he didn't stay on the line long before Itachi came back on.

"How's your relationship with Karin?"

My mood changed from good to bad. Sakura noticed this and looked at me. "We aren't together anymore."

"What happened?"

"We just didn't click, I think she was cheating on me anyway so I left her, she doesn't even know where I am."

"Well, you'll find someone."

"That's what mom said."

"I know that tone, have you already met someone?"

"What the hell is it with you and Juugo questioning my love life?!" I formed an annoyed glare on my face, even though he couldn't see it.

"Hey quit getting mad. The day I leave this topic alone is the day you get married."

"Oh man, just call your friend, I'd assume he'd want to talk to you sooner rather than later."

"You're just using that as an excuse to not talk to me anymore." He gave a fake hurt voice.

"Shut up Itachi." I mumbled causing Sakura to laugh at me.

"Okay, okay, I'll talk to you later then, I'll have to make some time to go see you, mom and dad."

"You better. Later."

"I will. Bye."

After hanging up I turned to Sakura. "Now what?" Came her question.

"I don't know. What do you want to do?"

She shrugged as we got into my car, then added. "Want to go check out the mall?"

"Sure. I guess."

We had our plans and I drove us to the huge mall located within the city, this mall was huge, it had shops from pet stores to clothing stores and food courts to book stores. Once we walked inside, we headed to the second floor of the mall and just began walking around, she saw some shops that had clothes that were her style but decided against them when she noticed the price tag.

I had noticed she favored a baby blue sleeveless dress, it was about knee length and had designs of flowers through the material. Maybe this would be a present for her birthday in the future, considering she doesn't buy it herself first. As we continued walking, I spotted a store that was called Hot Topic, curious, I walked inside and decided to have a look around.

Sakura walked inside and I knew she felt out of place, everyone that was inside had some crazy hairstyle and wore black or some kind of chains. I smirked at her and just grabbed her hand and led her over to where the belts sat. I spotted a black bullet belt, the band had bullets along its edge and I thought about purchasing it. I also grabbed a cross flame tribal bead necklace. I was a blacked beaded necklace with a cross for the charm that was surrounded by fire.

When I had grabbed what I wanted to purchase, I saw Sakura looking at the variety of necklaces, she held one in particular in her hand and that was the one with the black rose hanging from a silver chain. I strolled over to her when she turned to me.

"You ready?" She asked me.

"Yeah I guess so." We walked up tot he register and I snatched the necklace from her, she protested but I wouldn't let her pay for it, so I purchased it for her.

She gave me an annoyed glare but once we left the store she had that smile dancing along her lips. She immediately put the necklace on, and she snagged mine out and forced me to wear it. I didn't mind, so I wore it.

As we headed down the mall passing several of the stores she noticed a photo booth. I should have seen the smile on her face and guessed what she was planning, but I didn't have enough time to react when she pulled me inside and sat me down on the seat with her sitting next to me. I shook my head as she paid and the camera took our pictures four times.

The first one she took was of me with a frown and she was smiling while giving a peace sign with her fingers. The second she was looking at me as I leaned away from her, a blush evident on my face. The third was a little better, she had her arm around my shoulder and forced me to get closer in the picture. The last one was the best out of all of them, I was smirking, but it kind of looked like a smile, Sakura smiled next to me, this one was a good one.

Once we had each gotten a copy of the strip of pictures, we headed towards the lower floor of the mall. She wanted to go check out the movie store, so I agreed.

We had been looking for about twenty minutes when I spotted my favorite movie tucked into the corner of the shelf. I didn't own it, so I thought I would purchase it, it was called _The Crow_, it was about a rock musician who was murdered along with his fiancee. A crow resurrects him so he can take vengeance against the ones that killed him. Not a lot of people would say its their favorite but it was definitely mine.

* * *

Sakura dragged me back to her house, she wanted me to watch a movie with her, it is called _Eagle Eye_, the one with that one actor named Shia LaBeouf. I decided it couldn't have been bad, so we sat on her couch and she hit the button to play it.

It started out and as it got further into the film, Sakura and I had ended up falling asleep, I guess we were more tired than we thought. Of course being awake at two a.m was a big factor in that. It wasn't until about an hour later when it was around three in the afternoon that I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing.

I glanced at Sakura and saw that she had her head resting against my chest, we weren't even dating and yet we acted like a couple would have. I looked at the caller I.D and had to suppress a frustrated sigh. Karin would just not let up with these phone calls, what didn't she get? I didn't answer the first ten times she called why does she keep trying to contact me. Should I answer it? Or just ignore it and let it go to voicemail? I decided to ignore it.

It was about three minutes after the ringing ended that I received a notification saying I had a new voice message. I dialed the number and listened to the message. Karin's voice came over the line, she sounded as if she were crying.

_Sasuke. I'm sorry about everything I did. Just please come back to me, I miss you I really do. I promise that I'll stay home more and not party with my friends all the time. I love you Sasuke just please don't let us be over. I want you back, I need you, and I know that you need me._

Some of her words tugged at my heart, but that last part saying that I need her just pissed me off. I didn't need her, she was the one that needed me, she was only calling because she wanted me to comfort her. I shook my head and leaned it against the couch as I stared up at the ceiling fan, it was spinning in circles just like my life.

I thought about everything that I had been through with Karin, and now that I had, I realized, I was happier here with Sakura than I was with her. Sakura made me feel like a real person and not just some doormat. She treated me like a real person, and acknowledged my feelings and tried to open my heart to her.

I couldn't return to Karin, because I knew I was falling for the person that was nestled against me right now. I was falling for the one my mom said she was going to get me together with. But there was still that fear that this wouldn't work out and I would get hurt and lock myself away from the her and the others who I have come to know. I didn't like building a wall around myself, but that was just how I lived. There were always those people who would betray you no matter what they said.

Just look at Karin. She said she would always be there and she would always love me, but that was all a lie. She was never there for me, she wasn't there when I was hurting, she wasn't there when I was alone, she was never there. But Sakura, I don't know, would she do the same thing to me that my ex did? Would she abandon me?

I feared this feeling, I feared it because if it didn't work out I would return to that hollow shell of my heart. I had almost taken my life before, what if this time was too much for me?

Shaking my head I tried to banish these thoughts from my head, they still lingered, so I shoved them to the darkest corner of my mind. I guess, I'll have to take it as it comes, and just see what happens.

Sakura woke up just then, she looked up at me with a smile before yawning. She sat up and glanced at me, I gazed back into her eyes, there was really only one way to find out if she really felt the same way for me, that I did for her. I leaned forward towards her, our faces getting closer with each second, I stopped and decided to wait for her to close the gap.

But just as it seemed as she was going to do it, someone busted open the door. Sakura and I froze and sat back away from each other, we looked to the door and spotted Ino and Tenten standing there breathing heavily. They both yelled out "I won" I'm guessing they had raced each other to Sakura's front door. And damn did they ever hear about knocking?

My face turned red slightly, but I quickly regained my composure and stood up after Sakura had moved from her position on the couch to go greet the friends that burst through her door. I sighed and leaned against the wall, muttering something about how annoying they were, Naruto must have heard me because he came over to me and grabbed me in a headlock.

I glared at him and knocked him to the floor, my knee was pressed into his back as I twisted his arm so he couldn't move. He shouted that he ave up causing everyone to laugh at him, with the exception of Neji.

Sakura turned to me after I had gotten back to my feet, she came over to me and stood before me.

"You never gave me an answer about my proposition about living here."

I sighed. "Do I really have a choice?"

She giggled. "No."

"Then I guess it's a yes then."

**A/N Sorry this is late, but hey better late than never right?**

**Read and review please. Thanks in advance.**

**And thank you to all of you who have reviewed the previous chapters.**


	6. Together

**Together**

~I can't believe how I have fallen for you  
And I was not looking, was content to remain  
And it's ironic to be back in the game~

It had been about three days since I moved in with Sakura. And like she said, we split the payments and bought the food with both of our money. It was actually working out well. Even Fang enjoyed being there, since whenever Sakura and I left the house Raven kept him company.

Right now though we were at the beach, I was lying on my towel that was on the ground. I was leaning back on my elbows, and I watched Neji throw Naruto into the water. My angel wings tattoo was exposed, it wasn't as tender like the first day I got it, and the redness around the art design had returned to my normal skin tone.

Sakura sat next to me wearing a red two-piece bathing suit that had cherries on them. I had on a pair of solid black trunks, not really anything special. A pair of black sunglasses covered my eyes as I stared at Naruto who was trying to beat up Neji; he wasn't having any luck on that. especially since he was aggravated, that alone made him even less of a challenge to Neji.

The new necklace I bought was around my neck, I had left my chain necklace at the house, I didn't want it getting lost here at the beach. I wore my lip ring as well, since it was a habit of mine. There were a lot of habits I had, but didn't everyone have them, I think they do. Just like Naruto as a habit of being loud and competitive and how Shikamaru had a habit of being lazy.

Yeah we all had them. Old habits really do die hard I guess.

Sakura turned to look at me when a few girls came walking our way. They were obviously trying to impress me, the way they walked only proved my claim. The swimsuits they wore were more than revealing it was disgusting. Sakura saw the distaste on my face and giggled. I love the way she laughs, it was, I don't know, soothing.

"I'm going to go get some water, do you want anything?" I asked her as I grabbed some cash I stowed into my bag. I left my wallet in my car, I didn't need it getting stolen.

"Uh, just some water for me too thanks."

I nodded my head and ran over to the small shack located on the beach. The sand was cool so wearing anything on my feet wasn't necessary. Once I had purchased the two water bottles, I glanced up to see those girls from before standing near Sakura. They were saying something to her, and from the look on her face it was a hurtful statement.

Sakura stood and sprinted away, the girls only laughed at her as I quickened my pace over to them. What had they said to her? I wish I wasn't such a nice person, well nice for me anyway, otherwise I would have knocked these bitches out.

"What the hell did you do?"

The blond one out of the four smiled seductively at me. "I know you don't like hanging with her. She's nothing to look at, she's not perfect unlike me, and I could show you a good time, if you know what I mean." She winked at me thinking I actually would be interested in her, what is it with these girls?

When she made a move to touch me, I grabbed her wrist and forced her hand away. "Don't touch me. You have no idea who I am, and if you think I'm going to hang out with sluts like you, you have another thing coming."

"Ugh, who the hell do you think you are?!" She yelled at me with a scowl on my face, she actually may have thought she was intimidating me.

"You have some nerve saying that to me after what you did to my friend." I growled causing her to take a step back in fear. Now me on the other hand, I was intimidating to an extent.

She made a humph sound and left with her hands on her hips trying to make herself seem better than everyone else. I dropped the bottles of water on my towel and took off in the direction I saw Sakura go in, I'm sure the others would notice we were gone, wouldn't they? She went to the deserted part of the beach where I had gone before to take pictures. She was sitting on the rock with her head buried in her arms which were resting on her knees.

I hated seeing her like this, why was she so self conscious about her looks? She is beautiful, I have even told her that before, does she not believe me? Did she think I was just being nice or polite...or something?

"Sakura."

She glanced over to me and turned away, she was trying to hide the fact that she was crying. But I had already seen the salty tears that were staining her cheeks. And those alone tugged at my heart, I wanted to comfort her more than ever now, I acutally wanted to hold her and possibly even...kiss her. Hold on a fucking minute, did I really just think that? Then again, I practically expressed the same feelings a few days ago, but this time feels...different.

I lifted my glasses off my eyes and held them in my hands as I knelt down in front of her. She turned to me trying desperately to fight the crystal drops stinging at her eyes.

"Why aren't you over with those girls?" She was trying her best to hold back a sob, but her voice betrayed her.

"Why should I be?"

"They are more prettier than I am, they could make you feel like a man being around beautiful women." As she said this she looked to the ocean.

"I already do feel like a man when I'm with you." Her eyes widened and she altered her gaze to stare into my onyx orbs.

"What?" It was obvious she was surprised by my response.

"Sakura, I don't care how much they reveal themselves to the world. Other guys might think they are the hottest things around...but I don't. Why do you let them get to you? You have more beauty than all of them combined."

"How can you say that? Its not like I have all the right curves or anything." She glanced away not wanting to see my reaction.

"So what?" I grabbed her chin and forced her to look me in the eyes. "I'm not a perfect guy. I have my flaws. What makes you think I look at them any differently than the way I look at you?"

She paused before whispering. "Why? Why are you saying this to me?"

I stood and pulled her to her feet, her reaction told me she wasn't expecting me to make a move like that.

"Because, when I see you, I see someone who is caring, sweet, funny, slightly annoying but that's what makes you...well you." She laughed as I leaned forward to rest my forehead against hers. I noticed her cheeks turn red, and then I whispered. "When I see you, I see someone I want to be with."

Without a second thought I pressed my lips to hers, I didn't think she would return it but I was surprised when I felt her kiss me back and then wrap her arms around my neck. She giggled since my lip ring tickled her bottom lip. I parted from her lips and gave her a smirk which she returned with a smile.

"I don't know what to say." She told me.

"You don't need to say anything." I said as I captured her lips with my own again.

I felt something moving around my foot and I looked down after breaking from our kiss. I spotted one of the small crabs that were out here. Kneeling down I picked it up after setting my glasses on the rock; Sakura just stared at me and smiled at my gentleness with the small creature. I held it to her but she backed away.

"I don't want it to pinch me." She admitted as she held her hands up to decline.

"It won't pinch you." I smirked then knelt down again to set the crab on the ground. It scuttled away to bury itself in the sand again, hiding away from anything that might want to harm it.

Standing to my feet I turned to gaze at Sakura. She looked away as her face heated up with a blush. I stepped closer to her and grabbed her chin like I had before. "Why are you blushing?"

"N-no reason." She giggled embarrassingly. "So what does that make us?"

"What does what make us?

"That kiss?"

"Well, what do you want to be?"

She smiled. "I want to be with you." Biting her lip she gazed down at the ground.

"As what?" I teased.

"You know what."

"I want to hear you say it."

"Why?"

"Because, you're shy, and I'm going to break that habit of yours."

"But what about you, you don't like to admit things like that."

"You're shy, I just conceal my emotions, there's a difference."

She rolled her eyes at me, she was definitely not as shy around me.

"Fine, am I- your girlfriend?"

I smirked. "Hn, I suppose."

"Shut up, you're horrible." She playfully hit me in the chest and ran away.

"Get back here."

"No way." She giggled and waded into the water.

Shaking my head I went in after her. She tried to get away from me, but she really couldn't go fast enough. I grabbed her around the waist and pushed her into the water. When we came back to the surface she splashed me and tried to swim away again. As I shook the droplets of liquid from my hair I didn't notice she came back and she decided to tackle me. I fell back into the water, and as soon as she let me go I swam to the shore.

Before I could get far enough she came at me and knocked into the sand, which caused her to land on top of me. "Gotcha."

She smiled as she looked at me then boldly leaned down to kiss me on the lips. Now I know I can break that shy habit of hers.

"So that's where you two went?"

We instantly broke apart and looked over to spot the gang. Ino was smiling slyly as Sakura got off of me and helped me to stand. Her face was beyond red as they headed over to us. I brushed the sand, that stuck to me, off and tried to seem as innocent as possible. But I don't think that worked out very well.

"Damn you guys, get a room." Naruto laughed and I gave him a glare. "Don't glare at me like that cause you got caught making out teme."

"Shut up dobe." I growled, Naruto was one that didn't get intimidated, whether he was just stupid or didn't care it was a mystery to me.

Rolling his eyes, Naruto handed me my bag. "Here, we brought your stuff since we're heading out."

"Where to?" Sakura asked, glad to switch the subject from me and her.

"The new arcade. I've heard people talk about it and they say its really cool." Naruto replied with a grin, how can someone be that happy and outgoing.

* * *

I stood by the door of the arcade, with Naruto talking excitedly to Shikamaru and Sai; Neji just stared at the blond. The girls were interrogating Sakura, I found it funny, I could see her face turn pink from where I was standing. They were more than likely talking about her and how they caught her kissing me.

My clothes, which I changed into after a quick trip back home, consisted of my black pants with the chains, but these pair had a skull design on the back pocket, a new pair I had picked up yesterday while out taking pictures for my boss. I had on another long sleeved black shirt that had a heart being stabbed with a dagger, the blood spilled out, the words _Scars Remain Hidden Beneath Open Wounds._ Don't ask what the words mean, because I really don't know, I only bought the shirt since I like the art design thought I will make it a goal to find out what the meaning of those words are. My shoes were my normal combat boots as usual.

My rings, necklace and lip ring were on in place, when weren't they? Besides the few times we went somewhere where I really didn't need to wear them that is. Sakura wore a simple red shirt and a pair of black pants, the necklace she bought at the mall lingered around her neck, plus a new necklace that was in the shape of a heart, it was a locket, she had a picture of Raven in it at the moment, but on the drive over here she wanted to put a picture of me and her kissing in it.

I could only let a smile twitch at my mouth, while I held back a chuckle, I have to say I don't do that often, but all the little things she does was...dare I say...cute? I shook those thoughts from my head and smacked myself mentally for thinking that.

Once they were finished we all walked inside. The arcade was huge; there were hundreds of games from the DDR to car racing and shooting games. Once we had gotten the tokens we needed to play, Sakura grabbed my hand and pulled me to the Skee Ball lanes. They were big machine like lanes that you threw the ball down a small lane and hope it goes into one of the high point targets.

It didn't look challenging enough so I settled for the basketball game next to it. I received three basketballs and I just continued shooting them into the basket until the game ended. I think I made all the baskets, I guess that would explain my high score on the digital screen.

Sakura walked over to me and stared wide eyed at it. "Wow, were you on a basketball team in high school?"

"No, but Juugo and I went to the basketball courts all the time." I answered her.

"I keep hearing about this Juugo, you have to tell him to come and visit."

"Will do." I smirked as my phone rang.

Sighing I reached into my pocket and glanced at the caller ID. I rolled my eyes and Sakura noticed that small gesture. "Who is it Sasuke?"

"My ex." I muttered annoyed. "She won't stop calling me."

She snatched the phone away from my hand and answered it before I had a chance to stop her. "He's busy." Then she hung up.

"What the hell was that about?" I questioned with a raised brow.

"Well maybe she'll get the gist that you're with someone else."

"I highly doubt that." I assured her.

She shrugged and handed the phone back to me which I placed into my pocket.

"She needs to back off." She smiled and wrapped her arms around my waist and leaned her head against my chest. "You're mine now."

"Oh really now?" A small smile tugged at the corners of my mouth as she leaned back to stare at me.

"Yes really." Then she reached up and kissed me, she sure wasn't shy about doing that and I couldn't resist saying what I said next.

"You like kissing me don't you?" I said slyly which caused her to blush. "Hn, your face doesn't lie."

"Shut up!" She mumbled angrily.

Smirking, I leaned down to kiss her back; I don't think she was expecting that. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and led her away to find the others. Which wasn't that difficult, we could hear Naruto from where we were standing before.

We found them by the air hockey table, where Naruto and Lee were engaged in a game. From the look on Naruto's face, it was obvious that he was losing, and horribly I might add. Naruto was growling with frustration as he tried to get the puck into the goal. Lee ended up coming out as the victor much to Naruto's dismay.

"Damn it!!" He yelled and slammed his hand down on the machine.

"Chill out Naruto, it's just a game." Shikamaru muttered lazily.

"Shut it Nara." Naruto raised a fist at him.

"Naruto stop it, you're acting like a fucking five year old." He looked to me as I said this. "You want to go teme, come on I'll play you right now, winner has to buy lunch for the group."

I raised a brow. "My bank account hasn't recovered from your last tab, you think I'm going to pay for your sorry ass to eat." I lied, my bank account didn't really get affected by the transaction, I had a lot of money saved up to even buy an expensive car and still have enough to live off of. I guess being a professional photographer has its perks.

"Come on Sas-gay." My eye twitched as he said my name that way.

I seemed to have a murderous look on my face since he shrunk back in fear. I clenched my teeth. "You're about to have a one way trip to hell Naruto. Your mother better hire a hearse."

Naruto's eyes widened with shock, or possibly even fear as he grabbed Hinata's hand and ran out of the arcade. Sakura shook her head and grabbed my hand to calm me down, it worked, but only just a little. When we left the arcade I was still fuming, that blond-headed ass is lucky he didn't show his face to me again for the next hour.

* * *

Sakura and I arrived back home, yes I have been referring to her place as my own since I moved in and all. I walked into my room and threw myself onto the mattress my parents had let me take from my old room at their place. Sakura walked in after me and sat down on the bed and looked at me, at least I think she did, I had my head buried in the pillow.

She poked me and laid down beside me, causing me to turn to face her. She smiled. "What's the matter Sasuke? Naruto piss you off?"

"I'm beyond pissed."

"Why?"

"I'm not even going to bother explaining, but if you were me, you would understand and want to beat the shit out of him as much as I do." I sighed and closed my eyes before opening them.

"Does it have something to do with something that happened in your past?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"I want to understand you Sasuke."

I nodded as she grasped my hand in a gentle grip and just held it. "When I was in school, some kids always called me what Naruto did today." I felt her grip tighten. "They got a one way trip to the nurses office and I received a one way trip to detention for three weeks."

"Damn what did you do?"

"I beat the shit out of them."

"So its just a sore spot for you."

"Not so much as sore, but it still hurt, but not enough to make me want to go off and hide like a coward, I stood my ground." I thought back to when I met Juugo. "It's like the time I met Juugo, he was made fun of too, and believe it or not he dressed like I do now, but he grew out of that when he was offered a job in a big corporation after we graduated. He dresses like that now and then, but only when he and I went to nightclubs."

"If you don't mind me asking, what did they call Juugo?"

"Juu-got no balls." I shook my head at the name. "Compared to him, I think I was better off. I beat the shit out of the kids that teased him and he ended up joining in on that, and we both got detention, but it was worth it."

She saw me smile slightly. "You wanna know something? The entire time Juugo and I were in high school together, people thought we were dating."

"They thought you guys were gay?"

"Yeah, just cause we hung around together all the time they got the wrong idea. I was the only one he trusted, and he was the only one I trusted. Believe me if I were ever in trouble, you can bet Juugo would have my back, just like I would have his. But when Juugo started dating this girl they quickly figured out we weren't dating."

"Did you get stared at by girls all the time?"

"Not all the time, some of them were kind of scared to be near me, so they only gawked at a distance. Though I was still approached by girls who asked me out."

"What about this ex of yours?" She curiously asked.

"What's there to say? I won't deny that I actually had feelings for her, but I just couldn't take being ignored by her. It was all just ignored love, I gave it openly, but she didn't acknowledge it." My face expressed the pain I felt about her.

"Sorry Sasuke, I shouldn't be making you tell me all of this." I smirked.

"No its fine, if we are going to make our relationship work, I want us to be honest with each other." She nodded in agreement to my statement.

I gave out a yawn, my eyelids felt heavy, I was so tired for some reason. Sakura noted this and lifted her hand to play with my hair and rub her fingers through it, it was a relaxing touch, I just suddenly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

I awoke a couple of hours later, I glanced at the clock in the room and saw that it was midnight. Sakura was curled up against me. Just how long was I out for? Shaking my head, I noticed I still had my boots on so I moved gently so I wouldn't wake her and slung those off and decided to change my pants. Chains were a great style, just not a great thing to sleep in. I also changed my shirt into a black sleeveless top exposing the tattoos on my arms.

When I removed my necklace and rings I heard the sound of whimpering, I turned and spotted Sakura in a fitful slumber, she was muttering something and what I managed to make out, she had said my name. This confused me, but her screaming broke that state and I rushed to her side. I crawled onto the bed and shook her. "Sakura." When it seemed like she wasn't going to respond she jolted upright as sweat glistened on her face.

"Hey." I wrapped my arms around her, her breathing calmed when she realized it was me.

"Sasuke." She reached up and placed her hands on my cheek. "You're ok."

She hugged me tightly and it made me wonder, what the hell was she dreaming about?

* * *

The next morning, I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing, I bet anything it was Karin. When I grabbed it, I was right, it was her, sitting up I walked to the other room. Better get this over with.

"Hello." I said with an emotionless tone.

"Sasuke! You answered. Didn't you get my other calls?"

"Yes." I continued with my emotionless voice.

"Well...why didn't you answer. I mean except for that one time when someone said you were busy."

"Maybe because I didn't want to talk to you." I muttered.

"Sasuke, I really am sorry about how I acted." I knew she was lying, she always lied about this.

"No you're not!" I raised my voice. "You had your chance and you blew it Karin! You hurt me, ignored me, and didn't even care!"

"Don't be like that!" Her voice grew in volume to match mine.

"Don't be like what? I shouldn't say I don't want to talk to you? I shouldn't say I don't want to be with you? It's too late for that, I don't want to talk to you anymore, and as far as I'm concerned you and I are over and have been over since the day I left!"

"Sasuke-"

"Enough Karin, I've had it, I'm with someone else, and she is way better than you will ever be. And if you don't clean up your act, you'll never find someone to love the selfish brat that you are." I ended the call and threw my phone onto the floor and let it slide away not caring if it broke or not.

"Sasuke." I turned to see Sakura standing there holding my mobile in her hand. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know anymore." I turned away to hide the look in my eyes.

Sakura didn't think twice before walking up to me and wrapping her arms around me from behind. She rested her head against my back, there was her soothing touch again. I hate to admit it, but I think my eyes have grown watery, all of this pain was killing me inside, I just wish it would go away, I'm tired of it festering in my heart.

"Sasuke, I'm here for you." She stated. "Whatever you need I will make sure you get it."

I turned around in her arms as she saw the unshed tears in my eyes, she reached her hands up and placed them against my face like she did last night. "What did she do to you Sasuke?" I think she asked it more to herself than to me.

Without thinking, I just whispered. "...Just don't leave me."

She wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me lower so she could cradle my head against her like a mother would do to her child. We ended up sliding to the floor, my phone was set on the ground as she just held me in her arms, something Karin never did.

"It's okay Sasuke, I'm here, I won't ever leave or abandon you. I'll never leave you on your own." She pressed her face into my hair nd held me even tighter.

What she said, made my chest swell with warmth, but there was that cold feeling that lurked in my mind. Would she leave me for someone else? How could I know if she was telling the truth? The warm feeling returned suddenly and pushed those thoughts away, there was only room for one, and only time will tell it I would succumb to the warmth and love Sakura provided, or be forced back into my dark hollow heart.

I only hope that it wasn't the dark, I didn't want to go there, I wanted to be able to tell someone I loved them and not have them leave me, I want someone who will acknowledge what I am feeling and not just brush it off. I'm aware of the moods and feelings of those around me, even if they think differently of that fact. I may not voice it out, but small gestures is what I give to show that I care, but with those that I truly care for I give so much more.

I tease Sakura because I really care for her, sometimes its just a front to keep people from knowing the real me deep down in my heart. The real me who wanted nothing but to lie on a cold stone floor and just slowly die to stop the pain. But can I break that me, can I keep my thoughts from drifting to that part of me.

Like I said only time can answer these. Just like time can only answer if Sakura and I will be together or torn apart.

**A/N Alright, I know I said I would be updating The Asylum and Let Me In last week, but I'm playing around with some ideas for those stories, and my job has me working my ass off the last few days. But anyway, I should have those updated by the 1st of November.**

**P.S I had this story planned out, so a quick update just to give you guys something while I try and get the other stories updated.**


	7. Surprise

**Surprise**

~Always going to hit you by surprise  
I know my past  
You were there~

A month had passed since Sakura and I started dating, and after the little breakdown of mine last month when I told Karin off she has been more attentive. What surprised me all the more was the fact that Karin hadn't called again during this past month which I can honestly say made me happy. She wasn't calling me constantly and I think I'm actually starting to forget her completely.

I was downstairs, I had woken up about half an hour ago, Sakura was up too but she was taking a shower at the moment. I was dressed in the clothes I wore to bed last night, which was a pair of black pants and my sleeveless black shirt. I would take my shower once Sakura had finished up with hers. We made sure we knew when the other was in the shower now, I recalled one event that happened last week when Sakura walked in on me just as I stepped out of the shower.

My face heated up with a blush, that moment was so embarrassing. Sure we were boyfriend and girlfriend but, we haven't gone far to actually seeing each other naked, though I guess I can't say that about Sakura anymore. She had immediately shut the door and left, but she couldn't stop herself fast enough.

That blush came to my face whenever I thought about it, when did I get embarrassed so easily anyway? Sakura is having an effect on me, I feel embarrassed when something happens between her and me. I actually jumped in shock when she came up behind me. That was a first, I must have been so caught up in my thoughts I didn't expect her to just appear. She wore a black pair of pants and a dark pink long sleeved shirt.

"Ok, its your turn for a shower."

"Like I said before, do I really want to take one with you in the house?" I smirked, it may have been an embarrassing time for me, but it also embarrassed her when I brought it up.

She hit me in the arm. "That was an accident." Her face turned red and she looked away.

"I'm only teasing." I grabbed her chin and forced her to look into my eyes, I love doing that to her and I smirked before I pressed my lips to hers. Her eyes widened, but kissed me back anyway. After we parted I caught my breath before saying, "I'll be about twenty minutes."

"Okay." I heard her reply back her face red from embarrassment when I kissed her.

We've been dating for a month now, but she still blushed from embarrassment whenever I would kiss her. She was still a little shy when it came to that, but her habit was beginning to break. I smirked inwardly at that thought.

* * *

Once I got out of the shower dressed in black jeans and a black long sleeved shirt, I slipped my chain necklace around my neck, my boots were downstairs by the door so I would put those on later, then I slipped my rings on, which included my lip ring.

I was heading down the stairs when I heard Sakura's voice; she was talking to someone. As soon as I reached the bottom I was tackled into a hug, I managed to keep my balance and hold the small child that jumped at me. I was shocked to see Koji in my arms and soon Sakura came forward with Itachi right behind her. He was wearing a red long sleeved button up shirt that had the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and a pair of black pants.

"I didn't expect you to be here." I said to my brother.

"Is that the hello I get after coming to see you?" He smirked. "And I guess mom was right when she said you were still the same rebellious kid you were when you were young." He gestured to the clothing that I was wearing.

"Was she the one that told you where I was living?" I smirked back, our mom always told everyone everything when it came to us.

"Of course." He smiled.

"Figures." I looked to Sakura. "I suppose you've already met Sakura."

"Yeah I have...are you two dating?" He asked me curiously his eyes shifting back between Sakura and I.

"Yeah we are." I shifted Koji in my arms.

"Well I have to say Sakura, you look a lot nicer than Karin did, she dressed like a slut." Sakura turned to me with a look of disbelief.

"Don't remind me, she didn't dress like that when we met so how was I supposed to know?"

"Fair enough." He shrugged. "Um listen, could you watch Koji for a few hours? I have to go talk to dad about a situation with the company."

"Sure." I looked at Koji. "You wanna hang out with me bud?"

"Yeah." He nodded excitedly.

"Its a deal then." I smirked again

"Hey Sasuke let me see the tattoo Deidara did." I nodded in agreement as I put Koji down.

I lifted my shirt up to expose my back, Itachi whistled in amazement I assume. "Deidara did a great job on that."

"Yeah I have to agree."

"I'm going to go see him later, maybe I'll have him do one for me." He grinned, he loved tattoos as much as I did.

"I have to take Sakura down there. She wants a tattoo, but she's just a little nervous about that." I glanced to Sakura when she turned away with a red face.

"It's not so bad." Itachi said while pulling his shirt collar to reveal the tiger tattoo on his shoulder.

"Well I have sensitive skin so it might hurt worse." She defended herself and stalked off to the back door as I picked up Koji again who wanted to be held. He loved attention, and Itachi was just spoiling him on it too.

Raven and Fang were out in the back, when Sakura opened the door they ran inside nearly knocking me down. I set Koji down as he ran around the house with the dogs chasing him. Sakura smiled. His hair was the same as his fathers, but he inherited his mother's blue eyes and her energetic side. His blue shirt, red jacket and black pants were a little wrinkled but I guess you can't expect a three year old to keep them neat.

Then again I don't think anyone can keep their clothes neat.

"How's the photography career going?" He asked me.

"Pretty well, I have over two-hundred works placed in several galleries." I explained.

"I guess that's no surprise, your photos are amazing." He thought something over before speaking. "How are you with portraits?"

"I'm working on it." I turned my head to Sakura before switching my gaze back to Itachi. "Sakura's been helping me out with that."

"Well I want to have a family portrait done, it'll be Koji's first except for when he was a baby, Suki and I have tried getting more done, but we always run into complications."

"I'm sure I could do it for you." I assured him, "Just tell me when and where."

"I'll have to talk it over with Suki but she'll be eager because she loves having pictures taken."

I nodded my head as Itachi glanced at the watch on his wrist. He sighed and turned back to me.

"I gotta go bro, I'll be by to pick Koji up later." He poked my forehead, a habit he picked up when we were younger, and left the house with a wave to Sakura.

I shook my head and walked over to the door and grabbed my boots. I went back over to the stairs and sat down on the third one from the bottom and put them on. I could only smirk when Koji came running back towards me making noises like an airplane with his arms spread out pretending to fly. Sakura only giggled at his actions. Fang and Raven had gone to get some water since they had been running around.

Speaking of Fang, he had gotten bigger this past month; it wouldn't be too long from now until he would be a full grown husky. Raven was getting pretty big too, I am surprised though, Fang looked bigger than Raven now, are male huskies naturally bigger than the females? I have to make a mental note to check that out.

"Koji!" I called him causing him to stop and turn to me. "Do you want to go to the park?"

His eyes beamed as he nodded enthusiastically. I grabbed my keys from the kitchen while Sakura put on her black closed toed sneakers. When I came back they were ready to leave, I grabbed the dog leashes and hooked them onto Raven and Fang's collars. Sakura took the leashes from me and I gave her a confused look.

"I'll hold onto the dogs, you should watch Koji since he knows you more than me."

"It doesn't take long for him to like someone."

She smiled as I sprinted after Koji who was still running around. I grabbed him around the waist and hoisted him into the air. "Got you." He laughed as I tickled him before carrying him to the door which Sakura had opened as she was waiting for us. Once we were outside I locked the door and lifted Koji onto my shoulders as his legs dangled over my shoulders and rested against my chest.

Looking around he pointed excitedly at everything he found interesting, which included a few cars, a group of birds in a tree and a strange street performer dressed as a mime. I gave the guy a strange look before shaking my head when we passed him. What? Even I, the guy that dresses in all black, finds some things strange. Just like some people give me strange looks.

* * *

I sat on the bench at the park as Koji kept running around with the dogs, where the hell did he get his energy from? I wonder what Itachi has been feeding him, I smirked at that thought, who knows, with my brother, Koji could be having sweets every hour of the day. I shook my head as Sakura returned from the small store down the street carrying two water bottles.

"Get tired already?" She giggled.

I gave her a playful glare. "Don't even start that with me. I don't have the energy like he has anymore."

She handed me one of the bottles and I opened it to take a sip from it. Koji looked to me as I gestured to the water bottle in my hand, he shook his head and continued with what he was doing. Smirking I set it aside and got up, I tried to go sneak up on him but he noticed me and started running away.

"Get back here!" I yelled to him.

"Never." He shouted and ran again.

I held back my laugh and caught up to him before grabbing him and picking him up. I threw him over my shoulder as he laughed and tried to squirm out of my grasp. I set him down again but he giggled and tackled me to the ground, giving Raven and Fang the opportunity to come over and try to lick me.

"Ah, okay enough." Koji smiled and stood and took off again with the dogs right behind him, they sure love running around with him.

When I turned to look at Sakura she was laughing at me. I raised a brow and gave a small smirk, she immediately stopped laughing and stared at me as I approached her.

"Don't you even dare." She warned me.

I didn't pay any heed to her warning as she stood up and attempted to dodge me, but I managed to grab a hold of her waist and pick her up from behind before spinning her around in slow circles. I knew it would make her dizzy and I was even getting to the point where I think I would fall to the ground.

"Sasuke! Stop it!" She screamed while trying to hold back her laughter. "You're going to make me sick."

With a light chuckle I set her down as she turned her gaze to me. She glared at me before she looked away with a pout on her face. I shook my head and forced her to look into my eyes. She told me before that my eyes captivated her whenever she looked at them, and used them to my advantage sometimes, hey its not a crime or anything.

"Are you going to be mad at me?" I quietly asked.

I don't know if she was able to resist the look in my eyes, but when she reached up to kiss me I knew I had her. She couldn't stay mad at me for long, because a kiss seemed it would make it all better. And I think it did, because she wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me deeper into the kiss.

"Ew, Uncle Sauke do what daddy and mommy do!" Koji exclaimed as he stood next to us.

"You little rascal!" I shouted and picked him up. "You were spying on us weren't you?"

He stuck his tongue out and giggled when I began to tickle his stomach, he was definitely like Itachi, he like to spy and say things when he caught someone doing something.

"Alright, it's time we get going." I told him as he gave a yawn. "...And it's time for your nap."

"I don't want to nap." He yawned again before resting his head against my shoulder. "I want to play more."

He was tired all right, he was already falling asleep in my arms. Sakura grabbed the leashes and put them on Raven and Fang before we walked down the sidewalk to leave the park. I smiled at the small boy in my arms before I switched my attention to Sakura, who was smiling at me, but it wasn't an ordinary smile, this smile said something.

"What?" I asked confused.

"You." She told me.

"What are you talking about?"

"You love kids don't you?" She smirked knowingly.

"So what if I do?" I blushed a little and turned away. "Its not a crime."

"No and what I'm saying is that you'd make a good dad one day." She smiled.

"You think?"

"Of course, just the way you act with Koji is a giveaway." She gestured to the boy in my arms.

"Yeah, but joking and messing around with someone else's kid is easy, when you're the actual parent, you have to be the one worried about if you'll mess up their lives."

"You wouldn't mess up their lives."

"You're right....you would." She glared and was about ready to punch me. "Hey I have a child in my arms."

"Fine, but you'll have to put him down sometime." She grinned.

She was right, but hopefully she would forget about punching me before we returned home, from what I heard from Naruto he said she can punch pretty damn hard if she got angry enough. He had made that mistake and he ended up with a bruise that took a week to heal.

* * *

We walked down the sidewalk, it was all quiet except for the sound of cars driving passed us. Koji was still asleep, he sure wore himself out by running around with Fang and Raven.

"There you are Sasuke." I heard someone call my name and I turned to see who it was. My eyes widened as I saw Juugo running towards us.

"Hey, what the hell are you doing here?" I greeted him.

"What, I can't come visit you? Well geez never mind." He pretended to walk away.

"Get back here you ass." He grinned before turning serious when he looked to Sakura.

"Is this the famous Sakura?" He smiled.

"Yes, I'm Sakura and who might you be?"

"Juugo."

"Ah, I finally get to meet the mysterious Juugo." She smiled. "I've heard Sasuke talk about you, its good to meet you."

"Same to you." He turned to me. "Do you know how hard it was to track you down? I thought you were staying with your parents but they told me you were living with your girlfriend at her place."

"Hey you found me didn't you?"

"True." He glanced at Koji. "Is that Koji?"

"Yeah, Itachi is here too."

"Damn, I haven't seen him in ages."

"You saw him last Christmas." I muttered. "I wouldn't exactly call that ages."

"Well it was ages for me." He grumbled.

I took full notice of his clothes, he was wearing a black shirt and a black pair of jeans. "So where is Itachi?"

"He's talking to my dad about the company."

"Ah I see." Juugo nodded with understanding. "Well I'm off this whole next week, my boss said I could use a break from all the shit he makes me do for him."

"Great." I said sarcastically. "I'm guessing your going to be spending all of your time here to bug me then."

"Of course." He smiled.

Sakura giggled at our exchange of words as Juugo knelt down when Fang walked up to him. "Hey Fang, you sure have gotten big."

"Where are you staying?" I asked as he stood after petting Fang.

"Nowhere yet, I just got here."

"Well maybe you could stay with us, we have a spare bedroom." Sakura offered, we did have a spare bedroom and it was the one I stayed in when I first moved in with her. But now it was a habit that we fell asleep together in her room.

"Cool, that would save me from having to stay at a hotel." He shuddered as I tried to hold back my laugh.

Sakura looked to me with a confused look. "Why is that funny?"

"You don't want to know." Juugo and I said in unison.

She raised her eyebrow at us before shaking her head. "And guys say girls are weird."

* * *

I placed Koji on our bed and covered him up before quietly leaving the room and shutting the door behind me. I headed back downstairs to see Juugo and Sakura engaged in a game of war with a deck of playing cards.

"I see he got you to play war with him." I said as I walked forward and sat on the couch next to Sakura. Juugo was sitting across the table on a chair he pulled from against the wall. He threw down a Jack and smiled triumphantly thinking her next card couldn't beat that.

"Yeah, he's really competitive." She muttered as Juugo growled when her card beat his, she had played an Ace which obviously beat a Jack in this card game.

"That's part of the reason I refuse to play cards with him." I smirked when Juugo glared at me.

"Liar, you don't like to play because I always beat you." He grinned.

"Oh yeah, that's definitely the reason." I stated sarcastically as I rolled my eyes.

Sakura ended up winning the game, and Juugo only sighed and muttered how he was losing his touch. He turned to me when he, I assume, formed an idea. Though the look on his face told me that he had.

"Hey Sasuke, wanna go to that nightclub downtown?" He asked. "I passed it on my way to your parents house."

"Sure, its been awhile since we hung out like that hasn't it." I said now that I thought about it. "Sakura, you want to go with us?"

"Uh.."

"Come on you know you want to go." I smirked as her face turned red.

"Fine I'll go." She crossed her arms. "But no making fun of me."

"Why would we make fun of you?" Juugo asked confused.

"I don't know, I'm sure I'll do something to embarrass myself."

I looked to Juugo as he stared back at me. We both shook our heads before saying. "We promise we won't make fun of you."

There was a knock on the door so I stood from the couch and headed to go and answer it. After opening it, I saw Itachi standing there. "Hey Sasuke, hope Koji wasn't too much trouble for you."

"No he wasn't, he's upstairs asleep right now."

"Let me guess, he tired himself out by running around didn't he?" Itachi smiled.

"Yeah, we were at the park and he was running around with Fang and Raven."

Once Itachi had stepped inside I closed the door and led them to where Sakura and Juugo were. Juugo looked up and spotted my brother. "Hey Itachi, I haven't seen you in awhile."

"Right back at ya." Itachi responded with a smirk.

"I'll go get Koji." I muttered as they decided to talk.

I got to the bedroom where I had left Koji to sleep, when I opened the door I noticed he was awake, but still half asleep. I walked over to him as he looked to me with tired eyes. "Hey bud, your dad's here."

"Kay." He mumbled as I walked over to him and picked him up.

He rested his head against my shoulder as we left the room. Once downstairs he looked up to see Itachi and he smiled. "Daddy."

Itachi turned to look at him. "Hey kiddo."

He took Koji from my arms as the small boy wrapped his arms around his neck. "I have to take Koji back to mom, she said she wants to spend more time with him."

"That's mom for ya." I stated with a smirk. "She always wants to spend all the time with the young ones."

"Yeah, no kidding. But she always tires him out, I can't wait till you have a kid and then you'll see what I mean." He chuckled. "I'll see you later bro."

"Alright." I walked them to the door and opened it before giving a wave with my hand to Koji who was waving at me.

* * *

Sakura walked up to me after I shut the door with Juugo right behind her. We had spent the last few hours hanging around the house watching movies and telling stories. Juugo had told some embarrassing ones about me to Sakura and I refused to talk to either of them after they started laughing and kept making jokes about it. Now we were heading to the nightclub, it was late enough and we were getting bored being in the house.

"Come on Sasuke you can't stay silent forever." She said to me but I kept my mouth shut.

I still wasn't talking to either of them, and I think Sakura was starting to get frustrated with me. Eh, why do I care? She tells me not to make fun of her, but she goes and does it to me. I'm going to have to kick Juugo's ass for spilling that story to her. She says I can't keep silent forever, I almost snorted at that, she's saying this to the guy that didn't talk to anyone during his high school years except for Juugo.

"Give it up Sakura." Juugo snickered. "Sasuke would go a whole year without talking if he could."

We arrived at the club and walked inside to grab a table. We ordered our drinks and just listened to the sound of the music playing while they tried to get me to talk. I glared at them and they gave frustrated sighs at my wordless answers. I ended up smirking when Sakura and Juugo started making faces at me, they weren't funny, but the stupidity of the looks made me almost laugh.

"At least we got some sort of reaction from him." Juugo said as he punched my shoulder lightly.

"Whatever." I murmured.

"He talked!" Juugo stated with fake shock.

"Shut up you ass." I growled angrily, I wasn't really angry and they knew that.

"Hey Sasuke!" I heard my name being called and I wondered who it could be now.

I turned my head to the source and to my surprise I saw someone that Karin had hung around with when we were dating. Juugo looked up and recognized him as well, he glanced down muttering something like 'this can't be good' and took a sip from his drink. Which caused Sakura to give him a confused look, and he shrugged and kept silent.

"Suigetsu, what are you doing here?" I asked him.

"Looking for you." He stated and took a seat next to Juugo.

"Why would you be looking for me?" I questioned curiously.

"You need to go back to Karin, she's been crying for the past month," He explained to me but I didn't give any sign that I cared.

"I'm not going back to her." I stated as Sakura looked at me with a worried look.

"You don't get it. She hates herself for what she did and how she acted, she's been looking for you this last month." He tried to get me to believe what he said about her, but I found it hard to, I know Karin and she doesn't get mad at herself, she never thought anything was her fault before, so why would she start now?

"That's a fucking lie." I gritted through my teeth trying to keep my voice to a minimum volume.

"No its not Sasuke." My heart seemed to stop when I turned my head to see Karin.

Her eyes were red, well she had been crying I'll admit that, but that doesn't change what she did.

"Sasuke can we talk, please?" She pleaded to me.

I glanced to Sakura as she reluctantly nodded her head for me to go ahead. I stood from the table and Karin followed me outside.

"You've got five minutes." I told her as I stood still watching her fidget under my gaze while she looked to the ground.

"Sasuke, I am really sorry about everything, and you think it's a lie but its not, I do love you, I love you more than any of my past boyfriends, and I know that you care about me." She paused and looked up to meet my eyes. "I want you to come back to me, I want things to go back to the way they were before this whole mess started."

"Its too late Karin. I gave you too many chances to change your ways but you didn't. You only want me back because I was the only one who put up with your shit." I told her. "How many boyfriends dumped you because of your selfish attitude? I think way too many, and if you think I'm going to get back together with you, you seriously need to have your head checked. I got tired of your bullshit and your lies, so don't try and make up for it now."

"Stop saying those things, I know you love me and you still do!" She stated loudly. "Don't try and deny it Sasuke, I know how you feel about me."

"You're wrong." I muttered with no emotion in my voice. "I won't lie, I did love you, but those feelings for you don't exist anymore. I already found someone else, and she makes me happier than you ever did."

"Just kiss me and you'll see that your wrong about what you're saying." She tried to grab my hand.

"No." I ended the conversation.

I left her standing there and headed back inside. What I didn't know was that she followed me. And I didn't have a chance to react when she grabbed me by the shoulder and spun me around before crashing her lips to mine. My eyes widened, I felt like I betrayed Sakura in that instant, and that scared me, but what made it worse was that from the corner of my eye, I saw that Sakura had witnessed what had just happened.

**A/N Alright, don't hate me for that ending, I seriously didn't want to write it, but it had to be done for the story. Read and review please. :)**


	8. Open Wounds

**Open Wounds  
**

~So Break Yourself Against My Stones  
And Spit Your Pity In My Soul  
You Never Needed Any Help  
You Sold Me Out To Save Yourself  
And I Won't Listen To Your Shame  
You Ran Away - You're All The Same  
Angels Lie To Keep Control...  
My Love Was Punished Long Ago  
If You Still Care, Don't Ever Let Me Know  
If you still care, don't ever let me know...~

I shoved Karin off of me as I wiped my mouth. "WHAT THE FUCK!"

"I know you want me Sasuke."

"NO I DON'T! GET THE HELL OUT OF MY LIFE!"

Turning around I saw Sakura run out the door with tears streaming down her face. My eyes widened as I made a move to go after her but Karin grabbed my arm again. I turned angrily to her as I gave a low growl. I wasn't in the mood to put up with her shit, she's already got Sakura crying from the stupid stunt she pulled just now.

"GET YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF OF ME!" I yelled at her, "WHAT PART OF I DON'T LOVE YOU ANYMORE DON'T YOU GET?!"

"BECAUSE I KNOW THAT YOU LOVE ME!"

I didn't notice before but our yelling had caught everyone's attention, and Juugo was trying to make his way through the crowd of people to reach me. I glared at Karin as she flinched and dropped the grip she had on my arm. Her eyes showed the fear, the fear that she knew I didn't love her anymore. She just doesn't want to let me go, but I let her go the day I left.

There were no feelings that lingered in my heart for her. They were all for Sakura and I was afraid that she wouldn't forgive me for this, even if it wasn't my fault. I can't let Sakura go, I have to stop her, this isn't how I wanted it to be.

"You're ruining everything Karin," I grumbled as my hair shadowed my eyes, "Do me a favor and leave me alone."

Not wasting another second I ran towards the door of the nightclub, Juugo had turned to follow me but he still had a bunch of people to get passed before he would be able to reach me and head outside, which was where I was going.

I burst through the door and glanced back and forth between the two directions. I spotted Sakura getting into a car that was being driven by Ino, I think Naruto and Hinata are in the back seats, she must have called them when I was inside yelling at Karin. Sprinting over to them, I tried to talk to her through the open window on her side. Naruto immediately opened his door and got out.

He was looking really pissed at this point, the anger I saw in his eyes and the glare I saw etched onto his face told me he wasn't happy at all. This was a real shock to me, he seemed like he was always the happy guy, but this was a new side to him that I have never seen before. But really shocked me was what he did next, and I would have never expected this from him.

"You fucking bastard." He punched me roughly on my cheek causing me to stumble back.

"Sakura listen to me." I dodged another of his punches as I tried to talk to her but she only ignored me.

"I don't want to listen to you, just go back to your girlfriend and leave me alone." She muttered angrily as she put on her seat belt. "Naruto get back in the car.

"I better not catch you near her again." Naruto threatened me before he reluctantly got back into the car, I've never seen him so serious about anything, and he was mad at me for something I didn't even do.

Ino gave me a glare before turning her attention away, she pulled out of the parking lot not looking back to me. Juugo finally made it out of the club and came running over to me. His eyes glanced to the car, before turning towards me.

"Sasuke what happened?"

"Karin...she kissed me and Sakura, she..." I trailed off.

"She saw it!" He finished for me as his eyes widened.

"I didn't kiss her Juugo she just suddenly did it when I was trying to go back into the club." I glanced down to the ground, I suddenly felt cold and hollow and I think Juugo may have noticed since he was looking at me with concern.

My chest clenched at the thought of losing Sakura, my heart was racing at this point. It hurts. I never thought I would experience this pain again, but I am now and I don't want to feel this way. Juugo set his hand on my shoulder and led me down the sidewalk, I felt lost, like nothing made sense anymore. I stopped as Juugo looked to me, I was facing the ground with my hair covering my eyes.

"Juugo what am I going to do?" I whispered.

He was at loss for words, he sighed and pushed me to keep walking. He was silent for a few moments before he decided to speak.

"Go back to her home once she's had a chance to cool down, then try to explain to her what happened."

"What if she won't listen?" I questioned quietly.

"There's only one way to find out."

* * *

I sat on the park bench alone, with my head in my hands, I told Juugo I needed some time to think so he went ahead and decided to go get some coffee. It was nearing nine o'clock and I still haven't gone to see Sakura, Juugo told me to wait a few hours before going over to her home, but how long should I wait? It's already been two hours since the incident, should I head over there now?

Growling to myself, I stared at the ground. How could I have let that kiss happen? I should have known by now the kind of stunts Karin would pull off to try and get what she wants. She has always been that way. How could I have thought this would work out the way I wanted it to? Nothing goes the way they are supposed to in my life.

Giving a deep sigh I leaned back on the bench and stared at the sky, glancing over the stars and then to the moon, before turning my attention to the empty park before me. So dark and desolate, like my heart, I smiled bitterly at that, was there nothing about pain and dark emptiness that didn't relate to me?

There wasn't anyone here at this time of night, not that it really surprised me, no one wants to come here in the dark. But I didn't mind it, the dark was actually more comforting to me rather than daylight. A lot of people would ask why? But honestly I don't know why, I just like the dark for some reason.

Maybe it's because I'm such a dark person, or at least I am most of the time. When I was around Sakura, I wasn't as dark and hollow as I thought I was. Now that would change because of that stupid move Karin made. I don't want Sakura and I to be over, I...love her. More than I loved Karin, more than I love my photography and music.

She is the one I want to be with. Why wouldn't she just listen to me? Then things could go back to the way they were when we started dating. I wouldn't mind if things went back to the way they were before I kissed her that first time. At least then, she didn't hate me like she does now. I don't know what the hell I have to do to be happy in my life, it's always the same and it never seems to change. Things are good one minute, then they drastically change for the worse.

I stood as I took a deep breath and clenched my fists tightly, I had to talk to Sakura, and try and resolve this issue, I won't let it end this way. I can't let it end this way. But what do I do if I can't convince her that it was a mistake?

That hit me hard....What will happen to us?

_Fuck_ I guess I never really thought that through.

* * *

I walked up to the front door of Sakura's home a few hours later, I still had the spare key that she gave me, but I chose to knock on the door instead. I would feel like I'm intruding if I just unlocked the door and walked inside at his point. My phone buzzed in my pocket as I waited for her to answer. Great. Another text message from Sakura's friends, they have been doing nothing but sending me rude and hurtful texts after the incident with Karin.

I chose to ignore it as Sakura opened the door roughly and glanced to me, she left it open as I stepped inside and saw her putting all of my belongings into boxes. My turned my gaze to her with questioning eyes which she must have understood.

"Take your things and get out." She didn't look at me as she dropped another box by the door, and rather recklessly I might add.

"Sakura, will you just listen to me." I tried to talk to her but she refused to hear me out and just dropped another box by the doorway.

"If you think I'm going to talk to you after what happened at the club then you really are messed up in the head." She stated through gritted teeth.

"Sakura please..." I don't know if she did it reflexively or purposely, but she slapped me across the face leaving a red mark on my cheek. She really does hate me doesn't she?

I stared wide eyed at her not bothering to touch the new mark that she left. She didn't seem to regret what she did, and at this point the real first fight between her and I started. A fight that I never thought would happen.

"YOU'RE AN ASSHOLE! YOU SAID YOU AND HER WERE OVER!" She yelled at me and took a step back to get as far away from me as possible. But her yelling caused me to shout back.

"HER AND I ARE OVER! I DON'T LOVE HER! I DON'T WANT TO BE WITH HER!"

I noticed briefly that Raven and Fang were hiding under a table whining at us. Our yelling was scaring them, but it just kept going.

"YOU'RE LYING!"

'NO I'M NOT! SAKURA DON'T DO THIS! I'M TELLING YOU THE TRUTH!"

She suddenly turned quiet.

"I don't know if I should believe you." She looked away from me, her eyes showing the distress she was feeling. "You kissed her...You kissed her and you expect me to believe you don't love her anymore. You are a liar Sasuke and don't even try and deny it."

"Sakura she kissed me. I didn't kiss her. I tried to go back into the club and she followed me." My eyes pleaded for her to believe me.

"How do I know that's not a lie? How do I know that you're not just saying that to make me trust you?" She cried out with tears stinging her eyes.

"If that were the case, why would I spend my time with you? Why would I have saved you all of those times if I didn't want you to be safe so we could be together? Why did I share my secrets with you? Secrets that only Juugo knew. Why would I place my trust in you? Why would I be standing here if I loved her?

"I don't know." She stated.

"What is it you want from me?" I said, my voice a little shaky. "What is it that you want Sakura?"

My voice turned soft when she didn't respond as I looked at her and shook my head. "I don't know what you want in this life Sakura. But apparently its not me. You've turned everyone against me. All of the people who I thought were my friends and you. You're the worst out of all of them...You're no better than she is."

"Well you're no better than the other guys I've dated," She countered back to me.

"Oh yeah because I'm the one that beat you and tried to rape you, I am way different than those bastards that you call 'guys you've date'. I paused before continuing. "You don't know the good things that you have until they are gone."

"Yes I do, and your not part of those good things that are in my life, not after what you did."

"I TOLD YOU I DIDN'T KISS HER! WHY WON'T YOU FUCKING LISTEN TO ME?!" I shouted to her as she glared at me with hatred in her eyes.

"BECAUSE I SAW YOU, YOU AND HER WERE LIP LOCKED!" Her tears fell down her face as she turned away from me.

She whispered. "Just get out Sasuke. Get out and don't you ever come back, I never want to see you again, just get out of my life."

"Fine." I stated. I wasn't going to take this anymore, there was no way she was going to listen to me. Juugo was wrong, she didn't calm down, she was just getting angrier by hour when she left the club. I can't believe this is really happening to me.

I turned and left her standing alone in her home. I didn't see her face, because I didn't want to but I'd imagined she was crying even more, but at that moment I just didn't care. I got into my car and started the engine, I sat there for a few moments, contemplating what had just happened. Several questions ran through my head, and I couldn't answer any of them.

Why do all the relationships I have go to hell? Why do I deserve this? Am I being punished for something? If so, what is God making me pay for? Was I not meant to be loved? Was I always meant to be alone?

Shifting into drive I let those questions drift away as I gripped the steering wheel and pulled out of Sakura's driveway and drove down the road, the music was playing and it was a song I didn't want to hear right now, _Would It Matter_ By Skillet.

_if I wasn't here tomorrow would anybody care  
if my time was up I'd wanna know  
You were happy I was there_

_if I wasn't here tomorrow would anyone lose sleep  
if I wasn't hard and hollow  
Then maybe you would miss me_

I stopped at a red light and just sat there waiting and listening to that song before I shut it off. Damn fucking music, why did that song have to play? It was a good song when I wasn't feeling the way I was right now. What does anything matter anymore? What would anyone do if I died tonight? They probably wouldn't care, so why should I?

It seemed like forever before the light decided to switch to green. When it did I stepped on the gas, I wanted to get as far away as possible and try to put this behind me, but no matter how hard I tried, the pain growing in my heart would never go away. It would fester and build until the day I died, I don't think I'll be able to recover from this.

I drove towards the intersection, thinking I'd go through it without a problem. Immediately upon crossing I saw a bright light to my left out of the window, that's when those thoughts of not caring if I died came back. I didn't think it would actually try and occur, but I guess that's the way of life right? It just came so fast, but everything seemed to go in slow motion.

The last thing I saw were the bright headlights of a semi truck, then everything just went black.

* * *

My ears picked up on the sound of people screaming and yelling at each other. I tried to figure out how long it had been, and where I was, but what really got me was the unbearable pain I felt in my left side, and throughout my body. I could barely breath, something is crushing me. What happened? Where am I? I feel like I'm slipping away, slipping into a very dark corner of my mind.

Through shear force of my will power, I cracked my eyes open. My left arm was trapped underneath something, so I opted to lift whatever it is with my right, but that was no use. I had no strength. I felt my right side burning as badly as my left. When I reached to touch it I flinched from the sudden pain I felt, but I also felt something wet. I pulled my hand back and from the moonlight outside I saw red liquid. Blood. I was bleeding, and from the looks of it, it was pretty bad. The same liquid ran down my face, my head was bleeding too? Shit.

"SASUKE!" I heard my name be called.

What's going on? I saw, what appeared to be flashlights, shine in through the back window as I tried to remember what happened but I came up with nothing. My eyes shifted back and forth, and found that my car was trapped between a building and a large truck? Was there an accident? Did I get caught in it? Was I....My thoughts trailed off when a wave of dizziness overcame me as I shut my eyes and reopened them. The truck was moving, I'm guessing they were getting it out of the way.

The pain was growing worse, it just kept burning, and wasn't going to let up. I think something may have pierced my side, or both of my sides, I don't know. The pain was so intense I couldn't focus. I could have sworn I heard my name being called again but everything suddenly became quiet to me. My eyes drifted shut as the sounds returned and the sound of metal being pulled apart reached my ears.

I felt my arm being freed from whatever had it pinned down and I felt someone touch my neck. "He's alive." I wanted to open my eyes to see who it was but they were just too heavy. I didn't have any strength to do anything or even give out a groan to prove to myself I wasn't dead. But I knew I wasn't the pain gave me enough proof for that.

But when whatever had pierced my side was moved I let out a moan that said I was in pain. It burns, I wish I could speak and tell them to stop but no words would come from my lips.

"Be careful, one wrong move could kill him." I heard someone say.

"I know, but if we don't get him out soon, he'll die of blood loss." Another man said.

"Get the door off, we can pull him out and get him into the ambulance."

I heard more metal being pulled and I felt someone grab my arm while someone else grabbed a hold of my waist and pulled me. My feet touched solid ground as I heard them shout again.

"We need that stretcher over here!"

I felt something soft press against my back as something was placed over my face, my chest suddenly became cold as I felt pressure be put on my sides. To stop the bleeding maybe?. I cracked my eyes open so they were half lidded, there were several people hovering above me shining lights into my eyes and attaching IVs to my arm.

"SASUKE!" There was that call again. Who is it?

The person called me again and came to stand above me as I felt myself moving. There was something pink and orange but my head was becoming fuzzy, my eyes wouldn't stay open much longer. Someone or something touched my hand, it was a warm touch, but it soon vanished.

I finally passed out from the pain, what happened to me?

* * *

What's going on? I feel...pain, pain I wish would go away. This hurts worse than anything I've ever felt before. My body won't move, why do I feel so cold? What's that sound? Talking? Crying? Are there people here? Where am I? I furrowed my eyebrows before I forced my eyes to open, before I shut them quickly and reopened them.

It was too bright, the room was so white. I saw my parents standing a little ways away, my mom being held in the arms of my dad. She's crying. My eyes shifted around and I spotted my brother sitting on a chair with his head in his hands, Koji sat next to him with a sad look on his face. Looking around the room, I saw Juugo, then Naruto and Hinata, the shy girl was talking to him, as if comforting him.

Ino and Sai stood against the wall with Neji and Tenten, they were talking about something, but I didn't make it a goal to find out. Temari, Shikamaru and Lee were standing in the corner looking to the floor, but why? Why are they all here?

I felt my hand being held by someone so I looked down and spotted something pink.

Sakura?

I took notice that there was an oxygen mask covering my nose and mouth. Suddenly remembering what happened with her, I pulled my hand away from hers with any strength I may have had. She flinched, from shock maybe? And her head shot up from its resting position in her arms. Her emerald eyes were filled with tears as they widened.

"Sasuke!" She practically shouted which grabbed the others attention.

She hugged me in a tight grip, but not too tight where it would hurt me even if I still felt a stinging feeling on my sides. I didn't return it, nor did I say anything. She let me go when she realized this as a doctor came into the room and walked over then peered over me.

"Get them out," I stated weakly.

"Excuse me?"

"I want them all to leave."

The doctor looked to the occupants in the room and silently told them to leave. Sakura was shocked by this, why? I don't know and I don't care. She should have been expecting it from me after what happened. It didn't make any sense, one moment she's yelling at me, and now she's crying over me because I'm in a hospital.

As soon as they were gone I lifted my hands up and placed them against my face. There was a cast like bandage on my left, most likely a sprain, it didn't feel broken. I also felt a bandage on my face and around my head. I noticed the doctor had stayed behind and I stared at her. She gave a sigh before she decided she would speak.

"You gave your family and friends quite a scare."

"Hn, what friends? Most of those people are a bunch of two-faced rats." I glanced away from her and stared at the wall before turning my gaze to the ceiling.

"Look, you almost died, and you're still not completely healed. Give them a break." She was scolding me, like I give a shit about what she says.

"How long have I been out?" I asked ignoring what she said about giving them a break.

"Two weeks." She told me.

"What?!" I turned to look at her.

"The accident you were in, injured you severely. You're lucky to be alive."

"What happened?" I asked, I truly didn't know.

"There was a drunk man operating a semi, you know the big diesel trucks that transport things." She was ranting now.

"Yeah I get, just get on with it." I said and wiped my eye, as she muttered 'fine' to herself but I still heard it.

"He ran a red light when you crossed while yours was green. He rammed into you at a high speed and pushed your car into a building." She glanced over a clipboard. "From what I was told, it took them almost an hour to pull you from the wreckage."

"When can I leave?" I mumbled as my side burned from the wound.

"In about two days." She said and headed towards the door. "Call the nurse if you need anything."

She left without another word, as I thought about the information I was given. I almost died? That was a lot to take in, but I realized something, I didn't care. If I wasn't here anymore, I would surely be happy. I wouldn't have to deal with all of this pain and take the verbal abuse and emotional abuse from these people I met in this hell I know as life.

_Maybe they should have just let me die instead_

I heard a knock on the door before it opened to reveal my parents, I really didn't want to tell them to get out so I just let them enter, I sighed, here we go, mom is going to start the waterworks. She walked over to my side with tears in her eyes, she grabbed my hand as the tears slid down her cheeks.

"Mom," I said with ache in my voice, "Don't cry."

"It's kind of hard not to. Your father and I didn't know if you were going to make it, there were a few times when your heart stopped and we thought we had lost you." She told me. "We thought you were gone and we couldn't bring you back."

"I know, I never thought this would happen to me," I mumbled, "I guess life really is full of surprises, you never know what will happen."

"Sasuke, you should get some rest," My dad said as he placed a hand on my shoulder, "The doctor said you'll need all the rest you can get."

"Yeah I know...wait, who's been taking care of Fang?" I asked worriedly and tried to sit up, if I've been unconscious for two weeks who's been feeding him.

"Relax, he's at Sakura's place, he's been under her care since the accident." My father explained to me before he pushed me down to prevent me from sitting up.

"She wants to talk to you." I knew my mom was referring to Sakura.

I glanced to my mom as she said this. That cold feeling suddenly washed through me, I didn't embrace it, but I didn't reject it either, there was somethings I just let occur without really doing anything to acknowledge it.

"I don't want to talk to her." I turned my gaze away from my parents.

"Why not?"

"Ask Juugo, I really don't want to talk about it."

"Get some sleep Sasuke." My dad said as him and my mom left the room.

I didn't realize how tired I was until I shut my eyes, not to mention the headache I have throbbing in my temple. Maybe some sleep is what I need, I began to fall asleep, but not before hearing the door to my room open, I don't know who it was, and right now, I don't think I want to know, I just wanted some sleep and hopefully put this nightmare behind me.

**A/N Here it is another chapter of Ignored Love. I wanted to quit writing this chapter since my finger is sore, my friend TJ smashed my finger in a door, ah but I can't help but not be mad at him. Crazy kid is going to drive me nuts XD. But I managed to finish this, I have to say things are likely to change drastically. Bet you can't guess what will happen. :P  
**

** I'll try to update One Night in the next few days....And well I guess that's all I have to say. :)**


	9. Reckless

**Reckless**

~So if you love me let me go  
And run away before I know  
My heart is just too dark to care  
I can't destroy what isn't there~

I was finally able to leave the hospital, being in here has left me stiff and sore. Not to mention the wounds on my sides that still weren't completely healed yet made it more uncomfortable. I dressed in a pair of black jeans and a long sleeved black shirt, thanks to Juugo who had brought them here for me. I owe him a lot for what he's done, especially since he's letting me go and stay with him once I leave here.

I didn't have any of my accessories on, I just didn't want to put them on right now, which surprised me since I always wore one of them no matter where I was or what I was doing. There was a knock on the door before the doctor entered, at least she knocked and didn't barge in here like before. She walked over to me before handing me a bottle of pills. Painkillers. Not really what I wanted.

"Take two everyday, one in the morning and one before you go to bed."

It was a quick meeting with her, either she had more patients to tend to or she just wanted to get away from me, since she hurried out of the door without bothering with a goodbye. What did I care? It's not like I'm ever going to see her again. I don't think I'll ever see anyone here in this city again besides by parents.

I gave out a sigh and walked over to the door before heading out, there was only one place to go to now and I don't really want to go see the damage of my car, but I must no matter what I really want to do.

* * *

Holy shit. My car was definitely out of commission, there was no way in hell this was drivable. The accident was a lot worse than I thought. I am definitely amazed I survived it.

I stared at the heap of metal that was at the junkyard as I gave a deep sigh. The doors were bent out of shape along with the hood and back end of it. All existence of glass had been shattered. My brother walked over to me, he was the one that drove me over here since well..I had no car of my own anymore.

"I'm sorry Sasuke, I know that was your favorite car." He said as he stood next to my side, he didn't bring Koji, he was with our parents at the moment.

"Yeah no kidding. Can you have this brought somewhere?" I asked him and stretched out my hand since it was still stiff, being in this damn bandage it's really no surprise.

"Why?" He seemed confused by my request.

"I'm leaving to go stay with Juugo at his house. Its about a two hour drive away. I fixed this car once, I can do it again. It may take awhile but I can get it back." I explained this to him as I stared at him before I turned away, he seemed to have a look of understanding.

"Sure. I guess it was a good thing I told them not to scrap it, I knew you would want to fix it." Itachi ruffled my hair like he used to, but I didn't get mad like I had before when he did it. I had too much to think about to get mad at such a trivial thing.

"Sasuke are you alright?"

"I don't know." I replied, no hint of emotion in my voice. "I don't think I am, but what does it matter?"

"Sasuke, what happened with you and Sakura?" He asked. "I noticed you and her aren't seeing eye to eye, and after what Juugo told me briefly I still don't get why you wouldn't talk to her."

"..."

"Answer me Sasuke. I want to help you with this."

"Karin came here and forced herself on me...she wanted me back, so she kissed me and Sakura saw the whole thing. Sakura thinks I cheated on her and so I left her house, next thing I know I'm waking up in a hospital."

"Sasuke. You can't just shut her out, it was a little mistake."

"Little? Do you know how many "little" mistakes I've been through in my life? I can't take it anymore. If I have to die alone, so be it, I'm done with love, relationships and anything related to it." I gritted my teeth to keep from shouting. "I was always better off shutting people out."

"Sasuke-"

"Enough Itachi, just drop it. Please." He heeded my plea and nodded in understanding.

As soon as he dropped me off out front of Sakura's home, I spotted Juugo there putting the last of my things into his car. I waved goodbye to my brother as he left, but not before telling me to call mom and dad once I got to Juugo's place, my cell phone had been damaged in the accident so I had to get another one.

Juugo looked to me when he put the last box into the trunk. "You sure you don't want to talk to her?"

"I'm sure. I have nothing to say to her anyway."

Juugo scowled. "God dammit Sasuke! You can't keep doing this!"

"Doing what?! You think I'm going to forget about what she put me through and what she said to me! I can't take another blow like that!" My voice turned quiet. "I just can't, if it happens again I...."

I trailed off, but I think Juugo may have gotten what I was about to say. He sighed and closed the trunk before walking over to open the passenger side door. "...Come on, we have a two hour drive ahead of us." I nodded and got inside the car careful not to put pressure on the wounds on my sides I didn't need them reopening themselves again. The doctor told me they should be completely healed in about another week.

Juugo shut the door and opened the back door to let Fang jump in before he walked over to the driver's side. I looked out the window and saw Sakura standing by the window in her home, her tears made me want to get out of the car, run into her home and hug her, but I knew I couldn't, not after what happened between us.

Inside I was dying, my heart ached and I felt hollow, cold, and even depressed. I shook my head and turned away as Juugo started the car and pulled out of the driveway. This was most likely the last time I would see Sakura, I should be happy that I'm getting her out of my life, but just thinking that way...hurts... hurts more than what Karin did to me. I knew a part of me, still cares for her, but I just can't bring myself to forgive her.

* * *

_A heart of glass is what I own  
Maybe its better to be alone  
Lost love now no love still  
Ignored love is nothing but painfully real_

_XxXxXxX  
_

_The crow caws at midnight  
Signaling the dead  
To rise from the ashes  
And dirt of their beds_

_To take their vengeance  
On those they despise  
Killing from the shadows  
They can't be recognized_

_No trails have been left  
They haven't been seen  
There is no evidence  
Was it just a dream?_

_Quiet as they come  
No sounds are ever made  
They attack in the night  
With memories left to fade_

_Everything is silent  
As they crawl back to rest  
Waiting for the chance  
For the next killing fest_

_XxXxXxX_

_How much pain can an injured heart take before its too deep to kiss away?_

_XxXxXxX_

_My heart has grown too dark to see the light_

_XxXxXxX_

_I stand alone in the rain  
Black clouds surround me  
Trying to hide the pain  
No longer can I see_

_XxXxXxX  
_

I stared at the notebook in front of me, I have been writing nothing but short poems and quotes about anything that crossed my mind. Its really the only way I could show what I felt. Two weeks ago I came to live with Juugo and he's been trying to get me out of the house but I just declined his offer. I haven't been eating, or being my normal self. Fang stayed by my side the entire time, hoping I would return to my old self, but I doubted that would happen.

I have grown darker, the thick eyeliner around my eyes even made Fang a little uneasy. I am more depressed than I ever thought I would be, I just didn't care what happened to me anymore. I had white bandage wrapped around my knuckles, they were cut and bloody after I took out some of my anger on the punching bag Juugo had in his garage.

He didn't know, but I made my knuckles bleed on purpose, I focused on the pain in my hands instead of the pain in my chest. Was I a masochist? I don't know, maybe I am, maybe I'm not, who cares anyway? I sure as hell don't.

I was thinner around my waist, my arms still held the same muscles they used to since I worked out with the punching bag. The most I ate were a few slices of tomatoes or carrots. I wouldn't eat meat anymore, I just didn't care for it like I used to. I didn't care a whole lot for a lot of things anymore. In my photography, I started a new portfolio titled _Darkness Falls_, in this there were dark pictures, ones of myself and of crows that I managed to find while walking around at midnight.

The photos I had taken of myself were in black and white, most of which were black. There was one in particular that caught the gallery owner's eye and it was of me sitting on a roof top with the moon setting behind me. It had taken me forever to get that picture right, and setting up the camera for that shot was pain in the ass alone.

Setting the notebook aside I sat up from my position on my stomach. I wore a black muscle shirt that revealed the tip of the wings tattoo on my back and my black jeans. I got off my bed and grabbed my long sleeved black shirt that had some dirt and oil stains and slipped it on, it was the beginning of December so it would be cold outside, not to mention snow had settle onto the ground. I headed out of the room with Fang following at my feet.

I decided I would go work on the wreck a.k.a my car for the time being. I had some work on it finished but I still had a long way to go so I had gotten a motorcycle for the time being to get me anywhere I needed to go in a hurry.

Juugo had left earlier today, but I don't know where he went, he never said. Come to think of it, he left a little suspiciously today. I shrugged it off and opened the garage door then flipped the light on. I had bought parts and tools I would need to fix the car last week when Itachi had it brought here.

The frame was already put back together with most of the parts including the engine, transmission, etc, now my goal was to get it started. I wanted to make sure it would fire up before I went and began putting the side panels, hood and doors on it. It was hell trying to sort out those bended pieces of metal.

I looked to the doors and new glass that I had bought, the doors had been restored, now I just had to get the rest of the car put back together before I could attach those.

I sighed as I turned on the small stereo on the tool bench and played heavy metal music before I laid down on the rolling dolly that was flat, it was to put under tires to move the car, but it also came in handy to roll under the car to check out the underside.

The music was loud so any noise that may have sounded I didn't hear it, not that I would care, I just wanted to focus on my car. Fang was laying underneath the car curled up with his eyes just staring at me, I feel really bad, I haven't taken him to the park since the accident. I gave another sigh and pat him on the head.

"We'll go to the park again, I promise." He whined slightly and that made my eyes soften.

I grabbed a tool and tightened some bolts before connecting wires and circuits. This was going to take a long while, the last time I fixed this up at least the engine already worked, I had to start from scratch, I just used some of the salvageable parts from my car that was wrecked and added it to this. Saves me some money.

The music sounded loudly and I was starting to get into the beat when suddenly it just shut off, confused I grabbed hold of the side of the frame and rolled myself out from under the car. Juugo was standing there with a frown on his face, and wearing all black clothes like me. He was planning something, he never dressed like that unless him and I were going to a club. Oh fuck.

"What?" I muttered out and sat up.

"When I said I wanted you to get off your ass and do something, I didn't mean to spend all of your time working on your car." He stated and walked over to me.

"What the hell do you want from me Juugo? I am doing something, it may not be what you want but I really don't give a shit." I stared at him with no emotion on my face.

"Come on, we're going to go meet up with some people, you need to get out of this house. Now go get a shower and get changed." He grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet before pushing me to the room I was staying in. I knew it, he was dragging me out somewhere, shit this just keeps getting better and better.

* * *

I muttered curses silently to myself as Juugo pulled me out of the car. He locked the doors and pulled me into a nightclub. I was so out of place, this wasn't a normal nightclub I went to. Here I was dressed in a black long-sleeved shirt, black pants with chains on them and eyeliner around my eyes. I wasn't wearing my chain necklace, but there were a couple of dog tags hanging down my chest. The rings on my fingers were still there along with my lip ring.

But other people that were here wore blue jeans, and light colored shirts, only a few of them were black. Fantastic. Not really...this night is going to fucking suck. There weren't any people here I wanted to be around, I didn't want to be here at all actually. Now that I think about it, Juugo said we were meeting up with some people...just who were we meeting up with.

When we went into the club I didn't have time before I could ask him, that's when I heard my name be called. I suddenly froze, that voice, it could only belong to the most annoying person on the planet. I turned my head expecting the worst and I got it. It was Naruto, Sakura and the rest of their stupid little gang of friends. I stopped in my tracks and turned my gaze to Juugo, he only stared back at me with a serious look.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me Juugo!" I said through gritted teeth.

"No I'm not kidding you Sasuke." He looked to me before continuing. "You need to resolve any issues you have, and you need to do it now. I'm tired of seeing you the way you are at home."

"I don't-" He cut me off.

"Don't even say you don't care about yourself. I know you haven't been eating right, and I know about this..." He grabbed my hand and gestured to my knuckles. "You don't think I know you did it on purpose? I know it wasn't an accident. You're trying to cover up the pain with physical harm, and that's not going to help you."

"What the hell do expect me to do?"

"I expect you to get your ass over there and talk to them." He declared.

"I thought you would understand better than anyone Juugo, you know exactly how I am, and what I go through when I get involved with people." I stated. "I guess you don't remember the incident with Zaku and Dosu, you know what they did."

"Yeah, I know, but Sakura and them aren't like that."

"How do you know? You don't know them anymore than I do. I don't ever believe what someone says, I made that mistake, and its because of that mistake that you're the only one who knows anything about me." I explained. "There is no telling what they could do, just look how they reacted when Karin kissed me, they didn't bother talking to me about it, they just went along with what Sakura said."

"Sasuke I know its hard, but you can't live your life hiding behind a wall."

"Maybe you can't, but that's the only way I've survived." I turned away and ran out the door, he tried to call me but I ignored him.

I don't need this, why would he do this to me? He knows how I am, how could he think anything about me has changed at all since high school?

* * *

I sat on the ground near a frozen lake, it looked like it was just snow out there in a field but looks can be deceiving. I picked up a scoop of the snow and let it fall through my fingers. Fresh powder. Nothing better than that. I heard footsteps come up behind me, the snow crunching under the person's feet gave them away.

Turning my head I was shocked to see Sakura, what the hell is she doing here? I could feel myself getting angry, but I also felt myself getting more cold and fearful. I don't want to talk to her, why can't she leave me alone?

"Sasuke. Can we talk please?" She pleaded as I stared at her before turning my gaze back to the frozen lake.

"What's there to talk about? I don't think there is anything."

"Yes there is, I'm sorry if I hurt you, I just want things to go back to the way they were before we went to that club."

"Well wanting something doesn't guarantee you'll get it, I learned that the hard way." I stood up from my position on the ground.

Looking to her she seemed to have unshed tears in her eyes. There was no way I could let her back into my heart, it's been damaged enough and there is nothing that can repair it.

"Sasuke I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry to, I wish we could go back to the way things were, but after what happened, I don't think that is possible."

"I'll do whatever it takes." She cried out.

"Sakura...I can't. I don't know if it's partly you, but I do know its me, I've gone through too much shit in my life where I just shut everyone out. At this point I could care less if I die tomorrow. I may look strong on the outside, but inside there isn't anything left, there's nothing left of this heart that I used to have." I forced back the tears that were trying to surface. "Look, my heart has taken enough damage, it wasn't just because of you, its because of everything that I've been through."

She tried to speak but I just kept talking.

"There are things about me that I haven't told anyone except Juugo, and if you knew those things, you wouldn't want to be with me, I don't even want to be with myself." I kept explaining. "I hold things inside that no one would have thought of. My heart is like glass, and it only took me until now to realize it. I just shouldn't have let anyone..."

Trailing off I didn't bother finishing what I was saying, Sakura just stared at me, I don't know if she understands, but I hope that she does. She looked down, and turned her attention back to me.

"Sakura, we can't be together, as much as I don't want to think that, I just can't take anymore pain. You'd be better off finding someone else." I walked away from her.

I could hear her crying as the distance between us grew until she was out of earshot. I felt one tear slide down my cheek before I stopped and leaned against a tree for support. Wiping it away, I inhaled deeply and tried to calm myself, but I would never be calm again, I would always have my guard up, and this wall I built around myself won't be torn down.

Heading down the street, my thoughts kept drifting to Sakura no matter how hard I try to get her out of my mind. Why do I keep thinking about her? Why is she always on my mind? This doesn't make any sense. I should be angry and upset with her but...I'm not. But...

Why?

* * *

I was walking down the street wearing a black jacket, with a long sleeved shirt underneath it, and my black jeans. Two days ago I had told Sakura she would be better off finding someone else, and I won't deny that I really didn't want to say that. Seriously though, what choice did I have?

I sighed as my phone rang, yes I had gotten a new one, but it was one of the basic phones out there. I looked at the number, I was confused to see it was one I didn't recognize. I shrugged and decided to answer it anyway. I'm not sure who it could be, but I guess I'll find out.

"Hello?"

"Sasuke! Please tell me Sakura is with you!" It was Sakura's mom and I was shocked to hear her voice full of worry.

"No, she isn't."

"Oh no."

"Why? What's going on?" My voice was void of any emotion as I asked.

"Sakura has been feeling I don't know, down, since you said she would be better off with someone else. So her father and I are at her house but she isn't here, and it looks like she hasn't been here for about two days."

"That's not normal."

"No its not. Not for her anyway. But please. I know you and her aren't on good terms but can you help us find her? Sasuke please." She was practically begging me and I couldn't deny that her plea tugged at my heart, or what was left of it anyway.

"I'll help, I'll take a look down here, maybe she is hanging around somewhere, if not I'll be up there in about three hours."

"Thank you so much."

I hung up the phone and quickly thought to myself. Where would Sakura go? Would she be here or somewhere else? Tucking my phone into my pocket I continued walking down the street. When I came near the lake I had talked to Sakura at, my eyes widened. She wouldn't be there would she. I turned my head to stare to the lake, and I spotted something pink.

Fuck.

I sprinted down the edge of the lake and my heart stopped when I saw Sakura standing on the frozen lake. Did she not know it was a lake? Did she think it was just snow? Damn it, that ice is thin in certain places, she could fall through!

"SAKURA!" I shouted to her, she turned to me as I ran to get closer. "GET OFF THE LAKE!"

"WHAT?" She yelled back, she didn't know what was going on.

"GET OFF THE LAKE!" I repeated.

She didn't have a chance to say anything when the ice beneath her cracked before collapsing causing her to fall in. She screamed and went under the water. My eyes went wide and I rushed over after throwing my jacket off and draping it over a tree branch. I slid to my knees where she fell in and I peered into the hole. She isn't there. Shit! Where is she?!

I moved and brushed the snow away desperately trying to find her. The ice was fogged I couldn't really see where she was.

"SAKURA!"

It seemed like hours to me, but I finally saw her, she was hitting the ice trying to break it. Without thinking I brought my fist back and hit the ice, I could feel pain shoot through my arm as I broke through the frozen water. As soon as I pulled back I saw that Sakura was drifting away from where I had broken through.

_No. No. No!_

I reached in and grabbed her arm, but that's when things got worse, the ice cracked even more and I fell into the water alongside Sakura. It's so cold, damn it it's getting harder to move. I pushed through the numbness that was going throughout my body and grabbed Sakura again. We came to the surface and breathed in deeply. She coughed out some of the water she had inhaled and I attempted to climb out but the ice kept breaking off where I gripped onto it.

"Sas-Sasuke. It-It's so c-cold." She was shivering, she could barely speak.

I didn't know what to do, what the hell do I do!? Fuckin' hell. There was one thing that I had thought of to get her out of here. It wasn't a good thought since I didn't know what the results would be, but it was worth a shot. With any strength I had left I lifted her up and managed to get her further on top of the ice away from the section that kept breaking off. Once she touched solid ground she turned to me her breath coming in short gasps.

"S-Sasuke!"

"G-get o-ut o-of h-here." I managed to say, my legs were freezing, I don't know how much longer I'll be able to stay afloat.

"I'm not leaving you!" She stated loudly even though I knew she was shivering.

"Ju-just g-go." The wet tips of my hair were starting to freeze slightly, was it really that cold out here?

"No!" She reached to grab me as I tried to hold onto the edges of the ice.

They suddenly broke off around me causing Sakura to take a step back. She looked around frantically and found something near a tree but I don't know what it was. I slipped under the water as I heard her call my name, I couldn't move, my arms won't move! I saw something touch the surface of the water but my vision was fading in and out.

I was going to die out here. Maybe this is what I deserve...No...Juugo told me no one deserves to die like this, his mother died this way, I can't...I can't let myself die out here, I don't want to put Juugo through that again. I forced myself to swim towards the side of the lake, I was running out of oxygen.

_Calm yourself Sasuke. Don't panic. Panicking makes it worse.  
_

Swimming upwards, the ice above me seemed it was thin enough to break through. I punched at it, before I felt my fist go through it, I think I may have broken it, hitting the ice earlier to help Sakura and hitting it just now may have made it worse. I broke the ice away and climbed up the side while coughing out.

"SASUKE!"

Sakura grabbed me and pulled me out of the water. I was shaking, but she was as well. We need to get somewhere warm and we need to get there now.

"We need to get to the hospital!" She stated and helped me walk since I had been under the water longer than she had. "We'll take my car."

I grabbed my jacket from the branch and wrapped it around her, she smiled slightly at me and we made our way to her car. Now what would happen? There always seems to be something going on whenever it involves her and I.

**A/N I was going to update this story last week on Friday, but I got hit with the flu and it fuckin' sucked, which also put One Night on hold as well so right now I'm a little scatter brained, hope this chapter isn't too bad.**

**And to warn you guys, there is a possible chance of a mature scene in the next chapter, but this story is rated M for a reason so just a heads up. XD  
**


	10. Forever

**Forever**

~And there's nothing wrong with you  
It's me, I'm a freak  
But thanks for lovin' me  
Cause you're doing it perfectly  
There might have been a time  
When I would let you step away  
I wouldn't even try  
But I think you could save my life~

**A/N Warning! M rated content ahead.**

Sakura and I sat in a hospital room covered with blankets, we were dressed in hospital scrubs since neither of us wanted to wear the hospital gowns patients usually wore. My knuckles were wrapped loosely in bandage wrap, it wasn't broken just a little bloody and cut. It should be healed in a matter of days, that's what the doctor had told me anyway. Though I don't think they will get healed. I punch that damn punching bag and make myself bleed from my knuckles.

What makes them think I won't do it again?

Juugo and Sakura's parents were called and they would arrive soon. Juugo was going to meet up with them or that's what he had told me, they were bringing us new clothing to change into.

That was about two hours ago, which means they should be here pretty soon. God I wish they would hurry, I don't like being in here. I glanced around the room and then turned my gaze to Sakura, I was surprised to see her already staring at me. She was about to say something but the door suddenly opened up and Juugo and Sakura's parents walked through with the doctor right behind them.

"Goodness, we were so worried about you!" I watched as Mrs. Haruno wrapped her daughter tightly in a hug.

Juugo walked over to me and handed me my clothes.

"Thanks," I said quietly and he nodded to me.

After Sakura and I were changed into our regular clothing, her parents and Juugo left us alone. I'm guessing they wanted us to talk or something. Sakura turned to me and I stood there a little nervously.

"Um.." She started and then stopped.

I didn't know what to say at this point.

"Sasuke, can we go back to the way things were?"

"I don't know." I finally managed to say. "I'm confused right now, I don't know what I want. I need time to think."

Turning, I headed towards the door as I heard her start crying before she decided to speak.

"While you're thinking, just remember this, the pain that you feel when someone hurts you is the same pain you're putting me through."

I froze.

"...I..." I couldn't finish what I was going to say, so I just left.

She was right though. The pain I put her through is exactly what I feel whenever someone hurts me. Can I really keep putting her through that even after what happened between us?

* * *

Juugo was working on some paper work in his office as I sat on the bed in my room shifting my dog-tag necklaces between by finger and thumb. I was thinking, thinking long and hard about anything and everything. There were so many things going through my head, I couldn't focus on one, and I was starting to get slightly agitated.

I hated thinking so much like this, it really is a pain in the ass and I'm just getting more and more confused about what I want to do. I don't like thinking this way, I don't like fighting my thoughts about everything. There is just too much going through my head that I don't know which to follow or believe at this point.

What the hell is wrong with me? I've never struggled this much over a relationship issue and now I can't get Sakura out of my head. What the hell is going on with me that is making me think and act this way? Damn it. Why here? Why now? Why? Why? Fuckin' hell I don't know why? Why do I keep asking myself that? Shit I did it again.

I growled angrily and rested my hands against my face. This was going to be a long night.

Music started playing from Juugo's office and the words sort of got to me. Figures he would be playing a song that would make me think about everything that has happened.

_'Cause with you, I'd withstand  
All of hell to hold your hand  
I'd give it all  
I'd give for us_

What is it that I want? Do I forget about her and move on and live behind this damn wall I've built? No...That's not what I want to do, but I can't help it if that's the way I am. I've always thought no one was worth the pain that I go through for them, but I can't help but feel that she is worth it. I can't help the fact that I care for her and that I love her smiles and the way she laughs.

Laying back on the bed I pictured Sakura and I and all the times we had spent together. There were happy times, but this one bad time is what tore us apart. Well...it didn't really tear us apart, I'm just too stubborn to go back to her because I'm afraid. I'm afraid of what will happen in the future. A person can only take so much in their life before they are ready to give up. And I was ready to give up, I won't deny that.

I don't want to go through this pain anymore.

But...

I...

I don't know what possessed me, but after thinking about what happened at the hospital a few hours ago, it suddenly made me get off the bed and run to my motorcycle before taking off into the night. I knew where I was going, but would I be too late? I could only hope I wasn't, I only had one chance and I don't think I could live without her.

* * *

I stood outside Sakura's home, what she said at the hospital is the reason I'm here right now. I have to make this right, there will always be pain in love, but I can't keep running away from it.

With slight hesitation I knocked on her door. It took a few seconds before she slowly opened it. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying and I felt like such an ass for being the one that caused those tears.

"Sasuke?" She asked with hesitation and wiped her eyes.

"Sakura I-"

Before I had the chance to say anything else she tackled me into an embrace, knocking me to the ground. She was crying even more now, I could hear her quiet sobs. I sat up and forced her to look into my eyes before I leaned my forehead against hers. I have to get this resolved and I have to do it now, this can't wait.

"Sasuke I'm so sorry about what I accused you of I really am." She cried out. "I don't want us to be over, I don't want to lose you...I love you."

My eyes widened at her words before I looked her in the eyes again. "...What?"

"Damn it Sasuke, I love you so much, I hate myself for putting you through everything, maybe if I hadn't accused you of kissing Karin you wouldn't have gotten into that accident and you wouldn't have almost gotten killed." Her tears fell more rapidly down her face. "When you were in that hospital, I thought you would never wake up. I thought you were going to die and that scared me more than anything."

"I don't want us to be over either." I told her.

"Then why did-" I cut her off.

"I was afraid, I don't do well with this kind of pain." I told her honestly as she grabbed my bandaged hand. "I didn't want to get hurt again."

"I would never intentionally hurt you Sasuke." She glanced at my hands before looking into my eyes. "...And I didn't mean to hurt you before, I just got angry and I thought you didn't care about me. I thought you and Karin were going to get back together when I saw her kiss you."

We got to our feet and I placed my hands against her cheeks and wiped away the tears that lingered on her face. "I don't like to see you cry." I kissed her without warning and she immediately returned it. She wrapped her arms around my neck as my arms wound around her waist. She pulled me into her home and we slowly headed to her room. I knew what she was planning and as soon as we got into her room she shut and locked the door.

To be honest, I was a bit reluctant, I've never been intimate with a woman before. Karin and I never did anything like it, truthfully I was a little shy about this kind of thing. I wasn't your typical guy that looked at women and wanted to bed them in an instant. I am a more reserved guy than most people think. This is a big step in a relationship, but I couldn't help but want to do this as much as she did. After our shoes and socks had been removed she took a step towards me.

Taking an inhale of breath she kissed me again and reached for the hem of my shirt. I helped her remove it by lifting up my arms so she could pull it over my head. The dog-tags I wore lingered against my chest, when I reached to take them off she stopped me as a smile made it way to her lips.

"Leave them. I like those on you."

I smiled slightly and decided to keep them on as she requested. I dipped my head and planted a soft kiss on her lips, she returned it as she rubbed her hands over my chest, feeling every muscle and the scars on my sides from the accident. I took this chance and licked her lip, silently asking for permission to enter her mouth. She did so with slight hesitation but got into it when our tongues started to dance with one another.

As I continued to kiss her, I lifted my arms to take off her shirt. She repeated the same actions I did when she removed mine, which helped me to dispose of hers. Once her blouse had been sent to the floor, I reached around her to undo the clasp that held her breasts in restraints. Once they were freed, she immediately covered her chest with her arms. Her face was red, I knew, just the moonlight that came in through the window illuminated her face giving me a look at her cheeks.

"Don't hide Sakura." I pulled her arms to separate them from her chest. "You're beautiful."

She blushed a light shade of pink at my words, but she calmed down a bit and reached up to kiss me on my lips again. She wrapped her arms around my neck, our chests were against each others as I slowly urged her towards the bed. She giggled softly when I pushed her onto the mattress, the blankets and sheets pressed against her back. I crawled on top of her, my hands and knees supporting my weight. I gave her smile, which she matched with one of her own.

Her green eyes stared back into mine before I leaned down to kiss her forehead, then her eyes, down to her mouth. Before she knew it, I was trailing butterfly kisses down her neck until I reached her chest.

I took one of her perked nipples into my mouth, flicking my tongue around it in slow agonizing movements as I teased her other with my hand with my fingers pinching at her other nipple. She let out a soft moan which encouraged me to continue with what I was doing. After caring for the first one, I switched to give her other mound the same treatment when her fingers wound themselves in my hair.

She arched her back, as I kissed the valley between her breasts and trailed those kisses down her stomach before going back up to leave a kiss on her lips. She wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me deeper into the kiss. As my lips caressed hers, my hands traveled down her body and stopped at the waist of her jeans. I unbuttoned them and then unzipped them slowly.

I slid them down her legs and tossed them to the floor until she was left only in her bottom undergarments. She looked me in the eyes as I silently asked if she wanted to continue. She merely gave a nod with her head and I slid my knee between her legs, slowly putting pressure on her most delicate spot. She moaned and bit her lip as she looked at me. She reached for the belt on my pants and unbuckled it before releasing the button and unzipping them.

She moved them down as I helped her remove my jeans. She threw them to the floor where hers lingered. She could feel my erection through my boxers, the smirk on her face made it obvious and that made me turn a little red. She decided to tease me and brushed her hand against me with a slow gesture, I couldn't help but let out a soft moan.

I wasn't going to let her get to me first so I rubbed my knee against her again and she arched her back like before.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" I asked her.

"Yes, I want nothing more than to be completely yours Sasuke."

The lust in her eyes was undeniable, she was ready as ever and she reached for my boxer's waistband and began taking them off. I made the same action with her panties and soon we were both nude before each other.

I lightly touched her skin with my fingertips as I slowly let them wander down to her leg and then to her inner thigh. I massaged her softly and slowly inched my fingers to her womanhood and inserted one finger into her core, she was already wet and that made me smirk. She bucked her hips and moaned out my name. "Ah Sasuke."

I added another finger and pumped them in her as she moaned and urged me to continue. She closed her eyes at the feeling and gripped my shoulders. Once I hit that certain spot, an orgasm hit her for the first time and she gave out a loud moan. I removed my fingers and licked them, getting a taste of her.

"You taste sweet Sakura."

She blushed at what I said as I kissed her on the lips again letting her taste herself. I trailed my lips down her stomach and moved to her soft curls. Inserting my tongue into her folds she bucked her hips again to draw me in deeper when my tongue brushed her inner walls. She moaned louder as I sucked and licked at her bud before she came into my mouth. Licking her dry, I kissed up her inner thigh, then to her hip. It must have tickled since she giggled. I sat back up and stared into her eyes that were half lidded as a blush adorned her cheeks, her breathing was heavy.

She smiled devilishly and pushed me before she rolled me onto my back. My eyes went wide when she whispered into my ear. "I'm going to make you yell my name." My face turned red, why was I letting her dominate me this way?

She kissed my neck and sucked on my skin, the feeling was addicting, I didn't want her to stop. After leaving her mark she kissed down my chest, running her tongue over each of my muscles. When she ran her tongue over the sensitive scars on my side I lost it. I forced myself not to give out the groan that was itching at the back of my throat. She stopped and whispered seductively. "Are you ready Sasuke?"

Her hand enclosed itself around my shaft and moved up and down in quick and hard movements. I clenched my teeth at the feeling and gripped the sheets in my fists. I looked to her and watched her smirk before she went down and took me fully into her mouth. I groaned out not able to hold it back from what she was making me experience.

Her tongue flicked the tip of my shaft and that drove me crazy. Her actions caused me to groan out her name roughly. "Sakura." I ran my fingers through her hair as she continued her treatment and soon I came into her mouth, she licked me clean and sat up. Her mouth came back to my ear. "You taste pretty sweet yourself." After she said this, she began to nibble on my earlobe.

Not able to take it any longer I flipped our positions and clamped my hands down on hers. I positioned myself at her entrance and with one look to her she nodded and clenched down her teeth when I thrust into her. She forced her hands free from my grip and wrapped her arms around my torso and clawed at my back. For the female it would hurt for the first few moments so I waited for her to begin adjusting to me, letting her tense muscles relax. When she felt the pain be replaced with pleasure she pulled me into a kiss, which told me to continue.

I breathed in and lifted out before thrusting into her again. She is so tight...how can it feel so good? I moved to a faster pace and quickened my strokes when she told me to and she met my thrusts with ones of her own to increase the pleasure both of us were drowning in. I moaned out her name as she did the same, along with words like 'faster' and 'harder'. Which I complied without hesitation.

She cried out in ecstasy as another orgasm shook her body with pleasure. I felt my body surge as I thrust into her faster and harder than I thought I would have. The way she moaned and dug her nails into my back made me increase the rhythm of my strokes. A moan escaped her lips with each thrust that I made, and each time I couldn't help but groan out her name several times.

"Ah, Sak-ura."

She looked to me as I stared back into her eyes, I leaned down to kiss her as I felt a spring like coil in my stomach, it kept getting tighter and tighter and when I felt my limit coming I threw my head back as she mimicked my actions, it released when her walls tightened around me, sending me over the edge.

"Sas-UKE." She screamed the last part of my name as her final orgasm overtook her.

I collapsed on top of her with ragged breathing which she matched with her own. My heart was beating fast as I rolled off of her and wrapped my arms around her waist. I pulled the blanket to cover our bodies as she turned in my arms so she could rest her head against me.

"I love you." I told her.

She smiled up at me and kissed me on the cheek before snuggling closer to my chest.

"I love you too Sasuke." I could have sworn I felt something wet on my chest.

I looked down and I saw the tears that were on her cheeks. "Sakura, why are you crying?"

"I'm just happy you're here with me." She glanced at me as I kissed her forehead.

"I will always be here, I'm sorry about what happened before."

"It's okay, I just overreacted, and I'm sorry too." She smiled and placed her arm over my stomach.

We both drifted off to sleep, content with being by the others side. I was glad to be back with her, there would always be times where we would fight, but I knew that we could work it out.

* * *

My eyes cracked open, it was morning and Sakura was gone but her place on the bed was still warm. I sat up and stretched out my arms before throwing my legs over the side of the bed. I slipped on my boxers and my jeans before heading out of the room. That was the best night of my life, I'll admit that, and I'm just glad her and I are doing good now.

I went down the stairs and found Sakura in the kitchen wearing a red robe. She was making tea from what I could tell and I walked up behind her before wrapping my arms around her waist from behind. She jumped in surprise and nearly spilled the tea she was pouring into the cups.

I love doing that to her. I can't help it.

"Sasuke you need to stop that." She smiled and turned around in my arms before wrapping her arms loosely around my neck.

"Why? I like giving you a little scare." I smirked and placed a kiss on her lips.

"You're terrible." She giggled.

"But you love me that way." I teased.

"Yeah I do." She kissed me deeply before turning and handing me a cup of the tea.

I took a sip while she did the same with her own cup. I set the cup on the counter as she walked over and set hers on the table. She stared at me before giving a sly smirk.

"Last one in the shower has to give the other whatever they want."

"Sakura." I said in a warning tone.

She stuck her tongue out at me and took off running up the stairs, I shook my head and ran after her. Once I hit the top of the stairs and sprinted into the room I grabbed her around the waist and forced her to stop. This habit of hers was too predictable, I always catch her before she can escape my grasp.

"Sasuke let go!" She squealed as I tickled her sides.

"Like hell I will." I laughed at her before finally stopping and letting her go.

She walked towards me with seductive strides before wrapping her arms around my neck again and kissing me on the lips. She reached up to whisper in my ear. "Want a repeat of last night?"

Letting me go she walked towards the bathroom while gesturing with her finger for me to follow her. I smirked and moved towards the door, she grabbed me by the waist of my jeans and slipped her fingers through the belt loops as she pulled me into the bathroom before shutting and locking the door with a click.

* * *

The door bell rang and I headed down to go answer it, I had a towel around my neck as I lifted one side to dry my hair with it. The clothes I wore were a pair of black jeans and a black t-shirt. Apparently Juugo had left a set of my clothes here, that little rat knew I would end up coming back here. I shook my head and opened the door, I was nearly knocked down by a couple of people but I managed to sidestep them and watch as they fell to the floor.

Ino, Naruto, Tenten and Lee were laying on the floor arguing about who got through the door first. Seriously? Who the hell cares? They are way too competitive. When they stopped and turned to me they suddenly went quiet. Right. They weren't expecting me to be here. Neji, Hinata, and Sai walked into the house after the others had stood from the floor.

Naruto stared at me, oh shit, he had that look in his eyes. A look that couldn't mean it was good for me.

Fuck.

He suddenly yelled my name and grabbed me in a headlock and began ruffling my hair.

"Damn it Naruto! Let go!" I knocked him to the ground but since he had a hold of me I ended up falling too.

He sat up as I laid on my stomach with my hand supporting my head since my elbow was on the floor. With my other hand, I used my fingers to tap annoyingly on the floor. Sakura came down the stairs and saw me, and she couldn't help but laugh.

"Shut up Sakura, or I'll knock you down here."

"Oh you wouldn't do that." She grinned and I raised my eyebrow to her and stood up.

"Wanna bet?"

Her eyes widened before she smiled nervously and stuck her tongue out at me. She turned to the people in her home as they smiled at her. "I guess you guys are wondering why Sasuke is here right?"

"Uh duh!" Ino yelled out.

"Well, he and I patched things up and we're back together." Sakura explained to them.

"Haha, how'd you do that? By doing the nasty?" Naruto laughed as I smirked and turned away.

Why did I smirk? Well...Sakura turned a hundred different shades of red when he said that. All I heard was Sakura yell at him before he cried out in pain.

Well he was right, but Sakura would never admit to her and I doing that. I looked to him and saw Naruto on the floor holding his cheek, he was going to be bruised there for awhile. I shook my head at him and muttered 'idiot' which he returned with a glare. But when Sakura glared back at him he turned away and decided to leave this argument alone.

My phone rang in my pocket, and I answered it.

"Sasuke! Where the hell are you?!

It was Juugo.

"Dude relax, I'm at Sakura's place." I explained to him. "And thanks for leaving some of my clothes here you jerk."

"Haha, what? I knew you wouldn't let a girl like her go so I knew you would return to her home sooner or later." Just from the way he was talking I knew he was grinning ear to ear over the phone. "So you guys are back together then?"

"Yeah we are."

"Good, now I hope you will be more happy in future days to come. If you ever go into a state like you were these last few weeks, I'll kill you." He scolded jokingly to me.

"Yeah, yeah." Now it was my turn to grin. "So...tell me about this girl you've starting seeing."

"What?! Who told you?" He asked.

"You did, just now."

"YOU JACKASS!"

"Juugo, you have some explaining to do." I smirked and held back my laugh.

He growled. "I'll tell you later, but you and Sakura have some catching up to do."

"Yeah I know, but you do know I'm not going to let you dodge the subject forever right?" I told him.

"Don't remind me you persistent little bastard." He laughed. "Alright, I have some calls to make, I'll catch ya later."

"Okay, later."

After our conversation ended I looked to Sakura and the others who were staring at me. "What?"

"Nothing." They all said in unison.

"What!?"

"Don't worry about it, they just find the friendship you have with Juugo similar to our group's bond." Sakura said and hugged my arm, I nodded a little unsure but shrugged it off anyway.

"So Sasuke," Ino addressed me, "Would you like to come with us to the mall?"

Oh great. Shopping Queen. Do I want to see her go crazy over all of the merchandise on the stores. But with one look to Sakura, I knew I would be going, she just has a way of breaking me down with just one look from her emerald eyes.

**A/N Okay, I'll admit, it was a little weird to write the sexual scene from Sasuke's point of view. And believe me, I went back and re-read over it a hundred times just to find a way I wanted to put it. It was my first, so yeah...Anyway, there is still a lot more to come.**

**Now I must go to bed, its nearing three o'clock and I'm tired as hell.**

**Please read and review.  
**


	11. Is This Real?

**Is This Real?**

~Now I wake up everyday  
With this smile upon my face  
No more tears, no more pain  
'Cause you love me  
You help me understand  
That love is the answer to all that I am~

Things have been going really well since I moved back in with Sakura three weeks ago. My car was nearing completion, but I'm taking a break from it, its the holidays after all.

"Ah Sasuke!"

Well...most things have been going good...except now though.

"Stop moving."

"I can't help it."

"Just force yourself."

"I'm trying! Ow!"

"Damn it! Sorry!"

"That hurts!"

"I'm doing the best I can here!"

"Well be more gentle!"

"Fuck! How the hell did you get a fuckin' brush tangled this badly in your hair?"

"Just shut up and get it out!" She yelled at me.

"Alright, alright!" I pulled more of her hair from the brush and slowly undid the knots until the brush finally came loose. "Got it!"

She stood instantly and looked in the mirror. "Aw, my hair! I can't believe that happened to me!"

"What were you trying to do?"

"Just forget it, you would think I'm an idiot." She explained.

I smirked and gave out a laugh that I was trying to hold back.

"Quit laughing at me!" She turned and punched me in the arm.

"Hey! I'm only kidding." I wrapped my arms around her from behind when she turned back to the mirror with her arms crossed. "I'm sorry, forgive me?"

She rested her hands on my arms that were wrapped around her stomach. "Yes. Can you please help me get these knots out?"

"Yeah." I dropped my arms and grabbed a comb from the bathroom counter. Shaking my head I started taking the knots out one by one.

After almost an hour her hair was back to the way it normally was. She smiled and turned to hug me. "Thank you Sasuke."

"No problem. Now I need to get ready." I told her and kissed her on the lips.

Before I could pull away she pulled me and kissed me harder as she wrapped her arms around my bare chest. "What are you doing?" I asked her between each kiss she gave me.

"Hm...getting something before we leave."

I tried to walk away by stepping out of the bathroom while walking backwards but she just kept coming towards me forcing me to step back even more. I didn't know what she was doing...that was until she pushed me onto the bed and crawled on top of me. Her leg went in between mine and that made me turn red from embarrassment.

She giggled at my expression and leaned down to kiss me again.

"What's the matter Sasuke?" She purred into my ear when she broke from my lips and I couldn't help but shudder when her breath touched my neck. "Am I embarrassing you?"

"Uh...No?"

She grinned when she sat up. "Yes I am." She moved so she sat on my hips so she could straddle me. Shit. My thoughts are creeping to naughty things and it didn't help when she starting rocking her hips against mine. She stopped and got off of me, she reached for the waist of my black pants and just as she was about to take them off the doorbell rang.

"Grr, I'm going to kill whoever that is." She growled.

She got off the bed as I followed and stood to my feet. She stared at me as I blushed.

"Uh, I need to go take a shower, a cold one..."

"You go do that." She grinned and left to go answer the door but not before she slapped my ass.

"Hey!" I shouted as I jumped and turned around and saw her run out the door. "You'll pay for that one Sakura!" I yelled so she could hear me.

Damn it. She's being very mischievous lately but I can't deny that...I like it.

* * *

I was washing up when I heard the bathroom door open. I peered out of the shower and saw Sakura standing there holding a box.

"It was a delivery truck, he dropped this off for you."

"Oh, that must be my new camera, remember the one I ordered last week."

"Yeah, hurry up so we can check it out."

"Okay okay. Keep your pants on."

"Why?" She grinned. "You like when they come off."

"Sakura what is with you?" I rinsed myself of the soap and turned the water off.

I reached for a towel and wrapped it around my waist before stepping out of the shower. I stared at her before continuing to speak. "You've been real naughty today." I raised an eyebrow with a smirk on my lips. "Naughty girls don't get presents on Christmas."

"I can't help it if you have this effect on me." She defended and stepped towards me after she set the box on the counter. "And besides, you'll be my Santa and give me anything I want, right?" She smiled innocently before giving me a sly smile.

Grabbing my hands she pulled me from the bathroom and once again led me to the bed. Here we go again, I had just gotten done calming myself down from earlier too...I sighed, I give in to her too easily. Damn, I've never been this way before, what does she do to me that makes me give in so easily?

My eyes widened when she pushed me roughly onto the bed. Uh oh. She's getting eager now. We are going to be late for Neji and Tenten's Christmas party. No doubt someone will notice our absence. Juugo will definitely notice mine, and Ino would notice Sakura not being there.

Sakura crawled onto the bed again and sat on her knees on either side of my legs as she slowly began removing her clothes in slow movements. I sat up and leaned back on my elbows and watched her as she slid her pants and undergarments off. She smiled seductively at me and removed my towel and tossed it aside.

Why I was letting her take control I don't know. When she moved over me, she slid herself down onto my frame and began rocking and straddling me as I gripped the sheets in my fists and tried not to give out a groan that wanted to escape my throat. That's when I knew why I let her be the dominate one.

She knows just how to move.

* * *

"So Sasuke how was that?" Sakura asked me as she rested her head against my chest. We were covered by the blanket, it was a little cold and being naked didn't really help with that.

"I like you taking control." I admitted as I smirked which she returned with a grin. She isn't shy around me anymore, which is why she was so bold to do what she did earlier.

"Sasuke! Sakura!"

Oh no! Someone just called our names. And they were in the house, they were bound to come up here.

_Fuck. Shit. Son of a bitch. _I cursed in my head.

Sakura and I quickly jumped out of the bed, I ended up tripping since my legs were wrapped in the blanket. I got quickly to my feet when Sakura helped pull me up and she shoved me into the bathroom after I had grabbed my clothes from the closet as she got dressed as quickly as possible in her red shirt and black pants.

Stepping out of the bathroom fully clothed, my black long-sleeved shirt and black jeans were a little messy. Hey give me a break I threw them on in less than thirty seconds. When I stepped out Sakura was standing next to Ino and Tenten.

"Hey Sasuke." Tenten greeted me.

"Uh hey." I muttered then turned to Ino who gave a sly smile.

She knows something. Shit.

"Don't you guys ever knock?" I asked.

"Not when the door is unlocked." Tenten grinned, shit she knows too.

"Why does it matter? Its not like you guys were doing anything _important_ right?" Ino smirked and the way she said important I knew she had figured out what Sakura and I were up to. Fuck.

I forced down the blush that tried to makes its way to my face and turned to Sakura. I shrugged innocently and went to the closet to grab my boots before sitting on the bed to put them on.

"You guys were late, so we came to get you." Tenten explained. "But tell us, what were you guys up to?" She wiggled her eyebrows in a teasing way.

"No-nothing." Sakura blurt out, great, she's back to her shy and embarrassed self again and she's not a very good liar.

"Quit lying Sakura." Ino stated. "You guys live together, sleep in the same room, and you're an hour late for the party. You can't tell me you guys weren't up to something."

"What business is it of yours?!" Sakura yelled and I had to sweat-drop at her for that. She just gave us away by saying that.

"Smooth Sakura, really." I said sarcastically.

"You guys _were_ doing it!" Tenten and Ino yelled in unison.

"Were not!" Sakura and I said at the same time.

"Oh man, this is big, you guys did to, don't lie to us we know." Ino laughed.

"Plus, just the way you guys are acting and denying it is all the proof we need." Tenten added.

I groaned and placed my head in my hands. This was going to be a long day. I could really use a distraction right now. Where is Fang when I need him? Oh right, outside with Raven, damn it.

"Quit that groaning Sasuke. Save that for..."

"Don't you even dare finish that sentence." Sakura threatened when she cut Ino off.

Tenten and Ino burst out laughing as I sighed and stood from the bed to grab my rings, lip ring and necklace. I grabbed my wallet and phone then placed them in my pocket. I growled angrily to myself and left the room as I heard Sakura yell at her friends.

"You see what you did! He's mad now!"

Mad? It's more like I'm embarrassed Sakura. Damn females and their stupid women's intuition.

* * *

We stood in Neji and Tenten's home, and it was huge, great place for a party that's for sure. They had set up a large Christmas tree that was decorated with several lights and ornaments of different varieties. Sakura and I still had to put up a tree for the holidays, we had bought the tree and ornaments already, we just had to put it up.

My eyes shifted around the house and I noticed several more decorations from wreaths to stockings and fake snow. Not a bad job on decorating, it must have been all Tenten, I don't think Neji had this decorative ability. Then again, I don't know he could.

I glanced around and spotted Juugo and his girlfriend, Mika, who I met last week. Her black hair was cut to her shoulders, as her eyes were the color of blue. She is similar to Hinata since she's just as shy as the female Hyuuga. Juugo didn't care, he told me in confidence that he found her shy side cute and I could agree since I thought the same about Sakura when I first met the pink-haired female.

My brother, his wife and Koji were standing near our parents, well Koji was being hugged to death by my mom. Itachi was looking at her with a smirk on his face as his spouse scolded him for laughing at his own son for being hugged like crazy. I shook my head and looked to see Sakura's parents talking to Neji and I'm assuming they were complimenting him for doing a great job on this get together.

Temari, Shikamaru and Sai were standing by the refreshments table getting something to drink while chatting. Lee and Naruto on the other hand were having a contest to see who could do the most push-ups. My money is on Lee. But shh, don't tell Naruto I said that. Hinata was standing near them trying to tell them to stop but to no avail.

I watched Tenten and Ino head over to Hinata. They weren't going to tell her about what Sakura and I have been up to are they? It's going to end up getting spread around, oh man, what the hell did I do to deserve this. Oh right, I had gotten naughty with Sakura this morning, I guess that being bad no matter what it is, doesn't go unpunished.

Sakura hugged my arm as we made our way over to the table to grab a drink. Fruit punch huh? I shook my head and grabbed one of the water bottles from the ice chest. I don't really care for punch, it's too sweet for my tastes. Juugo waved to me as I returned the gesture, and he pulled Mika as he headed over this way.

"Hey Sasuke, what's up? You and Sakura were late getting here." He asked me with a concerned look thinking something bad might have happened on the way over here.

"Oh uh..." _Calm down Sasuke, he doesn't know what happened earlier just say something else._

Juugo looked at Sakura and saw her red face, her blush is going to let everyone know what we were doing if she doesn't knock that off. Juugo's eyes widened as he excused himself from Mika and grabbed my arm before pulling me away from the two girls. He turned to me with a goofy grin and crossed his arms. His raised eyebrow said 'alright buddy spill it' oh fuck not him too.

Why can't they just leave Sakura and I alone? They are always doing this.

"Well, are you going to talk?" He paused before changing his words. "Scratch that, start talking, now!"

"W-what's there to say?" I stammered, damn it he's getting to me.

"Tell me... did...you know?" He stepped closer to me so he could whisper. "Did you sleep with her?"

"Well..." I started to say.

"HA! I knew it!" He laughed and punched my arm. "Dude, I never thought I would see the day."

"Shut up." I glared at him. Can he talk any louder?! He's going to give it away.

"Hell no. You've actually slept with a woman. You were always the reserved guy, this is just a big surprise." He told me with a serious expression.

"Well what about you and Mika?" It was his turn to blush. "Ah, see I'm not the only one up to the you know what around here."

"True," He laughed and turned to his girlfriend as his eyes softened. "You know Sasuke, we've come a long way since high school."

I turned to eye Sakura to see her engaged in a conversation with Mika. "Yeah...I guess we have."

"You remember when I told you I would never meet the girl I would spend the rest of my life with?" I asked him.

"Yeah."

"I was wrong." I paused. "I think she may be the one Juugo."

He turned to me. "You're serious?"

"Yeah. I know all couples end up having some kind of fight, but I know I can work it out with Sakura. She makes me more happy than anyone I've dated." I explained to him. "I didn't even feel this way when I was with Karin."

"I would pay money to see you wear a suit on your wedding day," He laughed, "The last time I saw you in a suit was when your mom forced you to wear one to your brother's wedding."

"I remember that. She freakin' scared me that day when I said I wouldn't wear it." I shook my head.

He chuckled before continuing the conversation. "But you're sure she is the one?"

"Yeah. I really do think she is."

"That's great. I'm happy for you Sasuke I really am."

I smiled slightly as I heard people start laughing. I turned to Sakura and Mika to see them trying to hold back their laughs and I was confused. I turned to Juugo who had the same expression on his face that I did. He shrugged at me before I looked to Sakura again and she pointed to something above Juugo and I. I turned to see Naruto holding a mistletoe with a huge grin on his face. That fuckin' idiot. I'll kill him.

I twitched before grinning I just got an idea. I gestured to Juugo and he leaned down as I whispered something into his ear. He nearly laughed but he nodded his head. We turned to Naruto as his grin was immediately wiped from his face. I grabbed one of his arms as Juugo grabbed his other and we dragged him outside.

Everyone followed us and watched as Juugo and I tossed Naruto into the snow and began throwing snowballs at him. He yelled at us and tried to get us to stop but we refused to listen. And soon everyone joined in and that started the first snowball fight of the holiday season.

Life is amusing.

* * *

Sakura and I sat on her front porch just gazing at the stars. Christmas was coming up in the next few days, and I don't know what to get her. She is hard to buy something for, she says she never knows what she would like to receive. Maybe some jewelry, or new clothes? No...she wouldn't want those. Hm.

"Hey Sakura." I called her.

She turned to me her eyes questioning what I wanted. I smiled at her innocent look, she wasn't innocent in the least bit...well not anymore anyway. I had to stop myself from grinning at that thought.

"If you could have anything, what would it be?"

She smiled and thought about it for a second as she tugged her jacket closer to her body when a cold wind blew around us. I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her to me letting her head rest against the crook of my neck. The snow on the ground was purely white, untouched by human hands or feet.

"You said anything right?"

"Yep anything."

"Well, what I want is to spend a night somewhere really romantic, somewhere, not hot, maybe somewhere cold I want to spend a night there and I want to spend it cuddling with you." She blushed a little and glanced down to my hands before she grasped them and began messing with the rings on my fingers.

"What about you?" She asked after a few moments.

"I already have it."

"What would that be?"

I remained quiet before leaning back to stare into her eyes. When the words left my mouth her eyes widened.

"You."

She just stared at me as tears came to her eyes as a smile spread it's way across her lips.

"The one thing I've always wanted was someone who would love me for who I am, someone who would take me as I am and not try to change me. Though you have changed me slightly. You changed my cold heart into something worth using. And I know it's beating because its beating for you and only you." I leaned my forehead on hers. "If something ever happened to you, I wouldn't cry because..."

"Because?" She urged me to continue.

"...I would die." I placed my hand on her cheek. "You're someone I couldn't stand to live without."

I kissed her lips as snow began to fall from the sky. I could feel them fall to my cheeks before being melted against my skin. I broke from her lips and stared to the sky to see it covered with dark clouds, the moon still shined through to light up our way. I turned to Sakura to see her hair covered in snowflakes, she must have noticed the same about my hair since she moved her hand to brush them out.

Smirking I stood as she watched me suspiciously when I walked down to the yard. I knelt down to the ground and grabbed a handful of the snow and pressed it into a ball shape. I stood and looked to Sakura. She stood from her spot and glared at me.

"Don't you even dare Sasuke! I'm serious!"

"Consider this payback for slapping me on the ass this morning." I chuckled and tossed the snow at her and it hit her on the back when she turned around.

"You little brat." She ran to me as she picked up some snow and threw it at me.

I returned the action and threw more at her before she finally had enough and tackled me into the snow. She sat on my stomach and held my arms down. Shit. I can't get up. "Got you."

"Get off." I muttered.

"No."

"Sakura." I said through gritted teeth. "Get off of me."

"Why? I like sitting like this, you make a comfy chair," She laughed out before a grin made its way to her lips.

I raised a brow at her before smirking. Maybe I could embarrass her enough to a point where her grip loosens on me, I don't know if it will work but it's worth a shot. She looked at me as I shut my eyes so they were half lidded.

"Do you like the way I move inside you?" She looked at me with a confused expression. "I could pleasure you right here Sakura."

Her eyes widened as her face heated up. _Got you_

"Come on Sakura." I whispered to her. "I know you're ready to do it again."

Her hold suddenly slacked and I took this opportunity to flip her onto her back as I held her down as a glare formed on her face. "You tricked me!"

"Hey you're the one who fell for it?" I gave a small grin.

I was about to get up when she suddenly freed her hands and pulled me down on her. She crashed her lips to mine and forced her tongue into my mouth. I returned the kiss as our tongues battled for dominance. My hand invaded underneath her shirt as I brushed my hand across her skin. She moaned into my mouth and we broke apart for air.

We laid there in the snow making out until we both started to get too cold and headed inside. Our make out session didn't stop, she shoved me onto the couch and crawled on top of me before capturing my lips with her own again. As I kissed her, I knew exactly what I was going to get her for Christmas.

She broke from my lips and looked down to me. "Hey Sasuke. What do you say we put the tree up now?"

* * *

"Hand me the red garland." Sakura told me as I handed it to her and watched her wrap it around the tree.

I took the lights and wrapped them around the tree once she was finished with her decoration. I knelt down to plug it in as the lights lit up, the colors of blue, red, green and yellow surround the tree in a soft glow. Sakura smiled at me and grabbed a box of ornaments, she handed me one that was a reindeer holding a present in it's mouth.

I shook my head, as I put it on the tree while she hung some up as well. I turned to the box of Christmas stuff we bought and I pulled out the candy canes. Sakura wanted these ones so I bought them for the tree. I pulled the plastic off and grabbed the candy canes from their place in the box. I hung them on the tree as Sakura took some from my hands and put them on the tree.

The second to last thing we had were silver tinsel icicles. I opened the package and handed Sakura half of the bunch as we tossed them onto the tree. They glittered from the lights on the trees and I could see Sakura's eyes light up from the look of the tree. She glanced to me with a bright smile on her face. She was happy, I know that much.

"We have one last thing Sakura." I told her.

"What?"

"The star goofy." I laughed as she straightened herself up and smiled sheepishly.

"I forgot about the star." She giggled embarrassingly.

"You want to put it on?" I asked her.

"Uh sure." She grabbed the star from my hands and stood before the tree then frowned. "I'm too short to reach the top." She pouted.

Thinking for a second I had an idea, I wrapped my arms around her waist and lifted her up, giving her the extra height she needed to reach the top of the tree. After she placed the star on the tree I set her down as she wrapped an arm around my waist and leaned her head on my shoulder. "The tree is beautiful Sasuke."

"Just like you." I told her as I stared at her.

Her emerald orbs looked to me and she smiled. "Aw, how sweet are you?" She stepped in front of me and reached up to kiss me on the lips. "Want to watch a movie?" She asked me when she parted from my lips.

"Sure, what should we watch?" I asked her as I walked over to the selection of DVDs' she had. I browsed through them when she spoke up. "How about a Christmas movie?"

"Which one? You have like ten of them in here." I smirked at her.

"Um...How about _Home Alone_?"

"Which one, the first or second?"

"The first." She smiled. "Then if we want we can watch the second one too."

"Ok." I put the movie in a went to sit on the couch.

My feet are cold, stupid socks don't really keep you warm for long. I sat on the couch with my legs tucked up on the cushions. Sakura came over to me and sat down before she curled herself up against my side and rested her head against my chest. The movie began playing as I pulled the blanket from the back of the couch and placed it around us.

* * *

Around midnight, I heard Sakura get up so I turned to her still half asleep.

"I'm just getting some water," She mumbled tiredly as I nodded.

I laid there waiting for her to come back, I couldn't go back to sleep unless I knew she was right next to me, don't ask me why because I don't know. It took a few minutes before I noticed she was gone longer than she should have been. I shrugged it off thinking she may have spilled something and was cleaning it up. She had done it before even when I hadn't moved in with her yet.

Ten minutes passed and I decided to get up to go check on her, as I passed through the doorway I heard her scream before she was suddenly silenced. My eyes widened as I was instantly jolted to life and I ran down the stairs. I looked in the kitchen but she wasn't there her glass of water laid spilled on the floor. Something did happen to her.

I turned and headed into the living room.

What I saw brought fury through my veins. Sakura's ex was lying on top of her, and her clothes had already been torn off. I sprinted over to him and knocked him down, he had tried to rape her again.

"You bastard." He chuckled as I kicked him in the jaw which knocked him out. I ran to Sakura's side and covered her up with a blanket that was draped over the couch.

She was unconscious. I tried to shake her awake but she wouldn't move, she remained lifeless and what scared me all the more was the fact that she wasn't breathing.

Shit!

"SAKURA!" I positioned her flat on her back and gave her mouth to mouth, but she wouldn't breathe.

_NO! NO!_ I checked for her pulse and I found one but it was faint.

I ran to get her house phone and I immediately dialed 911.

_What the hell did he do to her?!_

_God! Somebody help!_

**A/N Another chapter down. Several more to go. Please read and review, I hope this didn't come out too bad, I wanted to post it before I left for work so here it is. **


	12. Remember When

**Remember When...**

~It's late at night and I can't sleep  
Missing you just runs too deep  
Oh I can't breathe thinking of your smile  
Every kiss I can't forget  
This aching heart ain't broken yet~

"From everything I've gone over, the reason she won't wake up is because..."

This can't be happening. I could barely listen to what the doctor was saying. Everything was fine, then they just drastically changed.

"...she had been injected with a drug that knocked her out."

"Can't you just wake her up?" Sakura's mother asked hopefully.

"We could if her body wasn't having a negative response to the drug." The blond haired doctor, named Tsunade, explained. "I'm sorry, we'll do everything we can."

She turned and left leaving me with Sakura's parents. I can't breathe, I started to pace as my heart began to beat faster. Sakura's mom came over to me and stopped me from pacing when she placed her hands on my shoulders.

"Hey, it'll be okay."

"How do you know that? I should have been able to help her, its my fault she's in here."

"No its not. Sakura wouldn't want you thinking this way."

"I can't help it. What am I supposed to do?" Tears were stinging at my eyes as I tried to keep them from falling.

Sakura's father came over to me.

"Go ahead and go home Sasuke. Get some sleep, we'll call you if there is any change."

"I don't want to leave."

"There's not much you can do now."

They were right. But...

"Can I see her first?"

He nodded as I walked into Sakura's room. She was lying there with an oxygen mask on her face and if it wasn't for the sound of the machines around her and the beeping of the heart monitor, I would have thought she was...I shook that thought from my head and stepped over to her bedside.

I grabbed her hand gently and held it for a few seconds before I leaned down to her ear. "I'm sorry."

Clenching my teeth I pulled back slowly and leaned down to leave a kiss on her cheek. "...I love you."

_Even if I don't deserve to have you_

I gave her hand one last squeeze and left the room.

_How could I let this happen?_

* * *

I sat outside on the porch steps as I stared at the dark sky above me. It was snowing again but I just ignored it. Three days ago Sakura was placed in the hospital and she still hasn't woken up yet. It's Christmas eve and I'm here without her. I had spent the last few days at the hospital until Juugo forced me to leave saying I needed to do something.

Juugo, Naruto and the rest of them have been sending me texts the last few days and for the past few hours. But I didn't reply back, yesterday they tried to cheer me up by taking me to the arcade and then to a nightclub but it didn't work. I can't bring myself to smile, laugh or do anything.

Not hearing Sakura's laugh, not seeing her smile and hearing her voice just tears me apart.

A chill ran up my spine when I decided to head back inside. It was snowing more heavily now and the last thing I needed was to get sick. Fang and Raven ran up to me once I shut the door and removed my shoes and jacket. I knelt down to pet them and scratch behind their ears. I think they've noticed my depressed state. Fang licked my cheek before Raven repeated his action.

"If you're trying to tell me everything will be okay, I don't know if it will be." I gave a sad smile to them before standing and walking into the living room.

I stared at the tree Sakura and I had put up just days ago and sat down in front of it. I lifted my legs up so I could put my arms on my knees and rest my chin on them. Fang and Raven came and sat on each of my sides before laying down and resting their heads between their paws.

Sakura's face flashed in my mind as I recalled the first time I saw her and how I caught her staring.

_I walked over to the group of girls and handed the one with the pink hair, the slip of paper. I walked away silently leaving the bar, but not before I heard her friends squeal at her, she was probably feeling really embarrassed now. For what I wrote on the paper was a question to what she was doing._

_Why do you keep staring?_

I smiled at the memory, that was the first real time I had teased her and caused her to turn red from embarrassment. My thoughts drifted to the time I took the portraits of her.

_Sitting on the boulder, she leaned back on her hands and looked to the sky. The way the sun sat on the horizon and surrounded her with a soft red glow, made her look radiant. She was beautiful actually. I hadn't realized I had been staring at her until she spoke up, snapping me from my thoughts_

_"Are you done yet?"_

_"Uh, just a minute?"_

I shook my head as I remembered that, I had gotten distracted by her beauty and forgot to take the picture until she said something to me. My lips twitched, I wanted to smile, but I couldn't bring myself to as I continued thinking about everything we had been through.

_"What are you doing?"_

_I leaned against the closet door as her face came close to mine. I think I may have turned red at some point and she grinned even wider._

_"What's the matter Sasuke? Are you embarrassed?"_

I would have laughed when I recalled the day she was in my room and made me blush by coming to close to me. She always managed to embarrass me in some way, but I didn't care because it was her who was doing it to me.

_"Nothing, I've already said too much."_

_I was surprised when she reached over and grabbed my hand, which caused me to look at her._

_"Tell me Sasuke, I want to understand and help you."_

She did learn to understand me and she did help me. She helped me love again even when I thought it was pointless. She learned to love me for who I am and what I was about. Just like she learned to love and understand me, I had learned it for her as well. I understood her when she needed me to.

_She landed on top of me, our legs were tangled with each others, let's just say it was a very awkward position._

_"Um, I..."_

_"Yeah uh.."_

_I tried moving but the leashes were preventing me from doing so. I looked to the dogs since they were just sitting there staring at us. I shook my head at Fang, I think he planned this..._

I stared down at Fang before moving my hand to reach out to pet him. He nudged my hand with his nose and I scratched his ear. I pulled back before using my other hand to pet Raven in the same manner I did to Fang.

_I leaned forward towards her, our faces getting closer with each second, I stopped and decided to wait for her to close the gap._

_But just as it seemed as she was going to do it, someone busted open the door. Sakura and I froze and sat back away from each other..._

That was the first time we nearly kissed and we would have had her friends not come through the door at that instant. That memory made me recall the first kiss I gave to her, the same kiss she returned without hesitation because I knew she held the same feelings for me that I did for her.

_"When I see you, I see someone I want to be with."_

_Without a second thought I pressed my lips to hers, I didn't think she would return it but I was surprised when I felt her kiss me back and then wrap her arms around my neck._

That memory led to the night she held me after my fight with Karin. She comforted me when I needed it most, she was there when I was at my worst, and now she's in the hospital because I couldn't do the same for her.

_"It's okay Sasuke, I'm here, I won't ever leave or abandon you. I'll never leave you on your own." She pressed her face into my hair and held me even tighter..._

My thoughts continued to drift as I stared at the Christmas tree, the lights shined to me as if trying to send warmth through me to make me feel better. That was until the memory of when her and I first made love flashed in my mind and when I told her I loved her. My hands clenched into fists when I thought about it.

_"I love you." I told her._

_She smiled up at me and kissed me on the cheek before snuggling closer to my chest._

_"I love you too Sasuke." I could have sworn I felt something wet on my chest._

_I looked down and I saw the tears that were on her cheeks. "Sakura, why are you crying?"_

_"I'm just happy you're here with me." She glanced at me as I kissed her forehead._

I gave a deep sigh but a small smile lingered on my lips, remembering everything we had been through together sort of helped with what I was feeling inside. But it vanished when my phone rang, I grabbed it from my pocket and looked at the caller ID. It was my mom. I hesitated before I decided to answer it anyway.

"Hello?"

"Sasuke. Would you please open the door?"

"What?"

"I'm outside, I was knocking but you didn't answer."

"Oh, yeah. I'll be there in a sec."

We hung up and I stood to my feet to go and open it. I probably didn't hear her knock because I was too distracted thinking about Sakura.

Once I had opened the door my mom stepped inside and removed her coat and shoes leaving her in her black pants and long sleeved blue shirt. She smiled at me as I headed back into the living room to stand in front of the tree.

"I love the tree Sasuke."

"Thanks." I murmured quietly my eyes reflected how I was feeling and she seemed to notice, mothers seemed to be good at that.

"Sasuke. I want to talk to you about what happened." She told me as she came to stand next to me. "How are you doing?"

"Not good." I answered honestly as my voice cracked.

"Oh honey what's wrong?"

"Mom." I stopped as tears stung at my eyes. "I'm so scared right now. I don't know what's going to happen."

"Sweetheart everything will be okay."

"Why does everyone keep saying that?! How do you know she'll be okay?! There's no telling what will happen to her! Its my fuckin' fault she's in the hospital, I should have been able to help her! I should have protected her! I haven't slept these last few days because I keep thinking about her and what could happen! I..."

My shoulders began shaking as she pulled me into an embrace and held my head against her chest like she did when I was younger. My tears fell from my eyes when I clenched them shut as she rubbed my back in a comforting manner.

"It will be okay." She tried to assure me. "It will."

She pulled away and placed her hands on my cheeks. I was taller than her so she had to reach her arms up slightly. She wiped my cheeks of the tears that stained them.

"You need some sleep."

"I told you I can't sleep."

"Yes you can. Come here." She pulled me to the couch.

She sat down before pulling me down to lay on the large piece of furniture. My head rested in her lap as she stared down at me. She ran her fingers through my hair as she began to hum softly. I remembered her doing this when I was young. It always helped me sleep knowing she was there and wouldn't leave me alone.

"Close your eyes Sasuke." She murmured quietly. "I'll be here when you wake up."

"Mom...Thank you for being here."

I shifted onto my side as she continued to hum and run her fingers through my hair, my hand reached to grab her other hand and I clutched it tightly knowing this was as good as the comfort could get. I shut my eyes as one last tear escaped down my cheek. I felt something be placed over me and I figured my mom covered me with the blanket that was on the couch, but I'm not sure.

I fell asleep with Sakura being the last person I thought about.

* * *

My phone rang and I reached to answer it, I stared at the ID number and realized it was Sakura's mother calling me. I had saved the number when she last called me when Sakura left her home. I hesitated for a moment before I decided to answer it and not let it go to voice mail.

"Hello?" I said with my voice a little weak. I was afraid. Afraid of what she would say.

"Sasuke."

_No_

She was crying, her voice, I can tell. Something had happened. But what?

"What's going on?" I walked into the living room.

"The drug Sakura had been injected with was...well part of it was poison." She continued. "But the doctors didn't catch it in time...she's..."

"No." I murmured. "She can't be..."

"Sasuke I'm sorry, she passed away this morning around five."

My heart felt like it stopped, my breath hitched in my throat as I fell back onto the couch and let the phone drop from my hands. My eyes were wide as tears began to form.

"No."

"No."

"NO!" I yelled and shot up from my resting place on the couch. I looked around breathing heavily, the sun was barely coming up outside. What time is it?

_Just a dream_. _It was just a dream._

I glanced down to my hands and I realized they were shaking. Was this from the fear of the dream? Or am I cold? My hands formed into fists as I threw the blanket that was on me off and sat up. My mom was gone, where did she go? Suddenly she came running into the room her face full of worry and concern.

"Sasuke what happened?"

I sat there trying to calm myself down when she came over to sit next to me. She reached her hand out and brushed my hair out of my face.

"Sweetheart what happened?"

"A bad dream." I glanced down at my hands and pulled my long sleeves down to cover them.

"Was it about Sakura?" She asked me.

"Yeah."

She reached out and pulled me into an embrace before letting me go and staring into my eyes. She placed her hand on my cheek and gave a sad smile.

"It was just a dream honey." She told me. "It wasn't real."

"It felt real mom, it did."

She stood and leaned down to kiss my forehead, she was babying me, but I don't mind it. I like her being here.

"I'll make you some warm tea alright?"

I nodded as she left the room leaving me sitting there. Fang and Raven came into the room and jumped up onto the couch and laid down. Even they know when someone needs to be comforted. I gave a small smile at them before petting each of their heads.

My mom returned with two cups of tea. She handed me one before sitting down next to Raven who had left a space for her to sit. "Merry Christmas Sasuke."

"Merry Christmas to you too mom." I said sadly.

She noticed my discomfort and stared to me as I looked at the cup in my hands. I hadn't realized I was crying until she reached over and wiped them away with her thumb.

"I must look pathetic." I said once I reached up to wipe my eyes.

"No you don't." She told me with sincerity.

"At least you think so."

"Sasuke, there's nothing wrong with feeling the way you are." She set her cup on one of the small tables next to the couch and turned towards me.

"Maybe..." I said.

"No maybes, I know. Everyone feels like this at some point in their life no matter how hard they try to be strong." She explained. "Don't make yourself worse by having negative thoughts about being the way you are."

"What could possibly make me think about it positively?"

"Well, you feeling this way proves how strong your love for Sakura really is...there's no second guessing."

She was right I guess. I love Sakura more than anything. But I'll die if she doesn't pull through this, I don't know how I could stand to live if she died. I can't stand knowing I can't do anything to help her.

My mom shook me from my thoughts when she spoke up.

"Want to watch a movie?"

"Sure." I stated quietly with an edge of sadness to my voice. Can you blame me? Sakura and I watched movies here so many times before.

She stood and browsed through the movies before selecting one and pulling it out. She turned to me with a grin and held up the movie. It was _The Crow_. I actually smiled when she grinned like that.

"Why didn't you tell me you bought this movie? You know its my favorite."

"I know." It was her favorite, we shared the same taste in movies, and _The Crow_ was a movie her and I watched whenever my dad and brother were off doing business work. It just became our favorite.

She put the movie in and hit play before returning to her spot on the couch. I shook my head and took a sip from the cup of tea and then turned my attention to the TV screen.

* * *

I sat on the couch as I watched Naruto and Lee have an arm wrestling match while laying on the floor. There really wasn't a table big enough here in the living room so they had to settle for laying on their stomachs.

My mom invited them over for a Christmas dinner party along with everyone else, she thought it might help me, and in a way it sort of did, but it kind of made me miss Sakura. Her parents were here and they told me her condition still hadn't changed, well at least she hasn't taken a turn for the worse. I had my knees brought up to my chin with my arms wrapped around them.

Everyone had eaten a little while ago, but I didn't. I just wasn't hungry. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Juugo staring at me with a sad expression, he worries just like my mom. All of them had tried coming over here to talk to me, but I ended up shutting them out. I was getting slightly ticked off from hearing all of them ask the same question.

_Are you okay?_

What the hell did they think? My girlfriend is in the hospital, I don't know when or if she will wake up and I couldn't prevent her from being put into that state. I'm doing fucking great.

Sai walked over to me with Ino right behind him. Oh great. Sai stood before me and I knew he was going to ask it, Ino most likely put him up to it since I didn't answer when she asked me earlier.

"Hey Sasuke."

"Hey." I muttered.

"How are you doing? Are you okay?"

I've had it.

"I wish you guys would fucking stop asking me that."

Everyone in the room turned to me. Ino glanced around at them before turning back to me. "We are only concerned about you Sasuke."

I stood to my feet. "Well stop it! Every single one of you have asked me that damn question, _are you okay_, you know what I'm not okay, there I said it, now leave me the hell alone!" I stormed off ignoring their calls as I went up the stairs to go to the room Sakura and I shared. I slammed the door shut not caring if they heard it or not. I don't give a fuck.

I ran a hand through my hair as I leaned against the door and slid down to a sitting position on the floor. Damn it. Why is all of this happening to me? I got up and threw myself onto the bed, I landed on the side Sakura normally slept on and I could still smell her scent on the pillow. That alone was enough to almost bring tears to my eyes.

_Sakura. Please. Just wake up._

After nearly an hour I heard the cars that were parked outside start to leave. I was starting to feel bad about what I yelled earlier, but I couldn't stop myself. Maybe I just need to be alone for now. There was a knock on the door before my mother entered, she had a sad smile on her face as she walked over to me.

I was laying on the bed curled up just staring at nothing. She leaned down to run her hand through my hair and kissed me on the cheek. "Do you want me to stay again?"

"No, I need some time alone to think. But thanks anyway."

"Alright sweetie, you know where to call if you need me. And Juugo told me to tell you he would text you later, and that you better answer him."

"No guarantees on that." I muttered.

"I know." She touched my shoulder softly. "I'll see you later."

"Okay."

She left without another word leaving me there to think about Sakura and what I would do if something were to happen. I couldn't bring myself to make any decisions, because a part of me believed she would wake up and I wouldn't need to think about anything, but the other part of me told me she wouldn't make it.

Why do I have to have two sides that counter each other?

* * *

Hours passed since the party ended and I was left alone. Well, not really alone, Fang and Raven are laying on the bed with me since they had been whining at the closed door earlier. I let them in, at least they couldn't ask me if I was okay, but I knew they would if they could talk. It was nine pm and I will admit I was tired but I wouldn't be able to sleep.

This Christmas wasn't very memorable, not when Sakura was in that hospital room alone. The doctors wouldn't allow me to visit today, some stupid rule they had about family being the only ones allowed in to visit since there weren't very many nurses and doctors working because of the holiday.

I would have to visit her tomorrow then. I can't really do anything else right now. I wonder, was Sakura feeling the same way I am now when I was in the hospital. Not knowing if they would live or die. It is hard, I just wish she were here, just hearing her voice would give me all the comfort I need.

I sighed and sat up from the bed. I moved to get off as Fang and Raven followed me. They didn't want to leave me alone, their actions made that obvious.

I left the room and headed down the stairs, I need some water. My throat is so dry. Once I got to the kitchen a wave of dizziness hit me so I leaned on the counter for support until it passed. I haven't eaten anything in two days I guess I should have expected that. Maybe I'll eat some crackers or something.

Grabbing a water bottle from the fridge I shut it before I snatched up a pack of crackers from the counter. I went in the living room and sat on the couch and removed the lid of the bottle and took a sip. I set that on the table next to the couch. Opening the package of crackers, I took one out and set the rest next to my water. I ate it slowly until it was gone, then I just sat there for a few seconds.

Moving to the floor I sat by the tree again and grabbed two things from under it. Fang and Raven came over to me when I whistled for them. I handed them the two dog bones I had bought a couple days ago. Hey they deserve presents as much as anyone else. Their tails wagged happily as they took them from my hands and went to sit near the couch to chew on them.

There was another present under the tree, and it was one I had gotten for Sakura the day after she was taken to the hospital. I had go it then, because I was stupid to think she would have woken up before Christmas day.

Turning to the table nearest to me, I grabbed the remote for the stereo. I was in the mood to listen to music to help clear my head of what I was thinking about. But as soon as I hit play, I regretted it. The song that was playing was _Things Left Unsaid_ by Disciple.

_If you fly away tonight  
I want to tell you that I love you  
I hope that you can hear me_

I wanted to turn it off, but I was frozen listening to the lyrics. I couldn't stand listening to it, but then I didn't want to turn it off. Why can't I stop it from playing.

_When it's my time to go  
to the other side  
I'll hold you again  
And melt at your smile_

At those words I shut it off and tossed the remote onto the couch as I buried my face into my hands before running them through my hair. Damn it. Why can't things go normally in my life? Why does everything get screwed up when it involves me? It's all my fault, everything that happened to those around me happened because I'm nothing but bad luck for them.

Shaking my head, I brought my legs to my chest like I had yesterday. I don't deserve Sakura. I don't deserve to see her smiles, to hear her laugh or even hold her in my arms.

_I don't deserve her love._

...

_Especially since I couldn't protect her._

I sat near that tree for awhile, when I turned to look at the clock hanging on the wall I saw that it was eleven pm. Two hours had passed since I came in here. Only an hour until midnight and Christmas would officially be over.

I feel lost.

I've lost who I am. Why is my heart so torn and broken? Why did everything go this way? Why am I here if I can't live happily? Why do I deserve this?

_What did I do wrong?_

I could have sworn I heard the front door open but I dismissed it, when I turned to look, there wasn't anyone near it. My mind must be playing tricks on me. I'm getting too hopeful that she'll come walking in like she was never in the hospital. I watched as Fang and Raven stood up, and that confused me, before I could turn someone wrapped their arms around me from behind.

_That touch._

"...Sasuke."

_That voice._

"...I'm sorry."

_It can't be._

"...I'm here."

_She can't be._

The person let go of me allowing me to turn around and sit on my knees as they were in the same position, and I saw those eyes. The ones that made me weak. The ones that captured me with just one look.

"...S-Sakura..."

She handed me something, it was a small box wrapped neatly with a bow on it. "Merry Christmas Sasuke."

I felt a tear escape my eye and slide down my cheek as I dropped the box from my hands and embraced her tightly, afraid that if I let go she would disappear from my arms forever.

I didn't hold back the tears that fell from my eyes. She wrapped her arms around me to return the embrace. It took a few minutes before I allowed her to pull away to look into my eyes. She saw the salty tears falling from my eyes and reached her hands up to touch my cheeks.

"Sasuke, please don't cry." Her eyes became glossy.

She wiped my eyes before she dropped her hands to hug me again, which I returned without hesitation. I didn't need the present she brought here with her, she was my Christmas present this year.

**A/N I want to thank everyone for all of the reviews on the last chapter. I didn't expect to receive as many as I did and I'm grateful for each and every one. Thanks again, you guys are great.**


	13. You Are My Life

**You Are My Life**

~Love is like swallowing hot chocolate before it has cooled off  
It takes you by surprise at first  
But keeps you warm for a long time~

I pulled away to stare at her again before placing my hands against her cheeks. I was afraid, was she real? Was she really here?

"Sasuke?" She placed her hands over mine. "What's wrong?"

"I'm making sure you're really here and that I'm not just imagining you." I managed to say.

"I am here... I'm sorry for making you worry."

"When did you wake up?" I asked.

"About an hour ago." She told me. "I had to stay there for a few more tests before I could leave."

"Did they figure out why you were unconscious for so many days?"

"Yeah, the drug my ex injected me with was a drug made on the streets," She explained, "It was made with some components of poison and my body had a negative reaction to it so I couldn't wake up."

"You're okay now though?"

"Yep." She smiled. "They cleansed my body of it and they were able to make a vaccine to make sure it was gone."

"God." I hugged her again. "Its been hell without you here."

"That's what my parents told me." She pulled away and grabbed the box she had brought. "I don't know how I can make up it you after putting you through these past few days."

"You being here is enough." I touched her cheeks again. "Believe me it is."

"Well you still need to open this." She pushed the wrapped box into my hands and smiled warmly at me.

"You didn't need to get me anything." I told her.

"Just shut up and open it, its something we'll both enjoy." She smiled as I reached to pull the wrapping paper off and then took the lid off the box.

My raised eyebrow showed my confusion when I pulled it out I held it up between us. A note?

"Read it."

I opened it up before reading it aloud. "Pick a number between one and fifty."

I thought for a second. "Uh twenty." I said not really knowing which number to pick.

I looked to see her grin and then she tackled me onto my back before kissing me on my lips. She kissed me twenty times. When she gave me the twentieth kiss I decided to speak. "Maybe I should have picked fifty."

"There's more where those came from." She said and kissed me fully on the lips.

We were suddenly interrupted when Fang and Raven came over to us and began licking me and Sakura.

"Ah Fang! Raven!" I yelled as I tried not to laugh.

I sat up with Sakura still leaning against me as we reached to pet our dogs, they just wanted to be a part of the moment too. I guess this Christmas wasn't too bad after all.

Suddenly remembering the last gift under the tree I reached for it and handed it to Sakura. Her eyes lit up and I knew she was surprised. She looked at me before reaching to unwrap it. She pulled out a small pamphlet. It was about a log cabin in the mountains and she turned to me with wide eyes.

"Is this what I think it is?"

"Yes. You and I are going to spend a week in a cabin at the mountains, its got a hot tub, a fireplace, large TV and a balcony for you and I to sit outside to enjoy the view of the lake."

She bit her lip as a wide smile made its way to her lips. "Oh Sasuke!" She squealed. "This is the best gift ever."

I chuckled when she hugged me and then whispered in my ear. "I can't wait, I'll be sure to make it _memorable_ for you." She smiled slyly and I had to keep myself from blushing at her words.

"When do we leave?"

"Well today is Friday so we're leaving on Sunday, it'll take six hours for us to drive there, I figured Fang and Raven would like to go up there too. We'll stay until the next Sunday morning."

"Aw, you definitely are the sweetest guy ever." She smiled and I gave a smile in return.

"And, I have another gift for you when we get there."

"What is it?"

"Its a surprise and that's all I'm saying." I got up from the floor and ran off to go upstairs.

"Get back here, tell me what it is?" She yelled and came after me.

"No." I shouted causing her to growl.

"Tell me." She cornered me in our room before she backed me against the wall. "Sasuke. Please tell me."

"I said no." I tried to stop myself from laughing when she made a pouting face.

"Sasuke. Why?" She whined.

I shook my head at her. "You're such a little kid. Look at you, you're whining cause I won't tell you."

"Shut up!" She pushed me further against the wall causing my eyes to widen.

"What-"

"I'm going to make you tell me." She grinned as she moved her knee to go in between my legs to rub herself against me.

My face heated up with a blush, and she could only grin wider at my reaction. "Tell me Sasuke." She whispered as she reached up to nibble on my ear.

"N-no." I was already doubting myself. Damn it, why does she have this effect on me? "I-I c-can't." Shit I'm stuttering.

"Yes you can." She whispered seductively as she continued nibbling my ear.

"Sakura s-stop." I almost begged her as I clenched my eyes shut.

When she moved to suck on my neck I had to stop myself from groaning at her touch.

_Don't let her get to you Sasuke. Don't let her get to you._

Oh the hell with it. I can't take it anymore.

"I wrote a song for you! There I said it."

"Aw, really?" She smiled brightly and I nodded and she was about to step back before I grabbed her and pulled her against me.

"You're not getting away that easily." I breathed huskily in her ear before I flicked her ear with my tongue.

It was her turn to blush and I glanced to her before kissing her deeply. She wrapped her arms around my neck like she had so many times before. I pulled away to move my mouth to her neck and kissed and sucked on her skin to leave my mark. She moaned out since she couldn't hold it back anymore.

I moved back to her ear. "You're not the only one who can be a tease."

I pulled away and began to head out of the room when she came running after me. "That's not fair." She whined again.

She followed me down the stairs still fuming after what I did. She went to the window and saw that it was snowing again and her face immediately lit up.

"Sasuke." She called me. "Want to make a snowman with me, please?"

"A snowman?" I raised a brow at her. "Isn't it a bit late?"

"So, why does that have to stop us from making a snowman?" She gave me those puppy dog eyes and I sighed.

"Fine, we can make one."

"Yay." She cheered and ran outside since she already had her jacket and shoes on.

I grabbed my boots and put them on before grabbing my black jacket and black scarf and followed her outside with Fang and Raven right at my feet, I knew they wouldn't run off. It was snowing still so we had fresh powder to work with.

Smirking I grabbed some snow after I set my scarf around my neck and threw it at her when she wasn't looking. She jumped and turned around as I occupied myself by petting the dogs.

"Did you throw something at me?" She asked me with accusing eyes.

"No." I replied with a straight face and stood up. "Why?" I was trying hard not to laugh at her confused expression.

"Something hit me on my back." She turned away again and I picked up more of the snow.

"You mean like this." She turned to me and I threw more snow at her which hit her on the shoulder.

"It was you! You liar!" She laughed and ran over to me as Fang and Raven chased each other around in the snow.

I tried to get away from her but she grabbed me around the waist and knocked me to the ground. "Damn it. You got me."

I thought she was going to get up but as soon as I turned onto my back she reached for my sides and began to tickle me. "No, Sakura stop." I managed to yell out and turned so I was on my side but she just continued.

"I'm getting my revenge!" She shouted while laughing.

"Having a little too much fun aren't we?" We turned our heads and saw Sakura's next door neighbor. She was standing on her front porch wearing her purple robe. Her gray hair was short with loose curls.

"Sorry Mrs. Kimura." Sakura shouted when we stood up as she tried to hold back her laugh.

Mrs. Kimura spotted me and I believe she smiled. "Its fine dear, just don't tickle him too bad."

Sakura grinned. "Oh you bet I won't."

Suddenly two kids came from the woman's house. A little girl and a little boy about five and six.

"Grandma what's going on?" They asked tiredly.

I shook my head and began rolling the snow until I had the first ball of snow for the snowman and I think the two kids spotted me.

"Grandma can we make a snowman too?" They suddenly said, they were awake now.

"You guys need to go back to bed." The older woman told them. "Your parents won't want you staying up this late."

"Aw. Please." She hesitated before Sakura stepped in.

"They can come help us make ours Mrs. Kimura."

"Well...alright, let's go get some warm clothes on."

They came back a few minutes later, the kids ran over to Sakura and I with their grandmother right behind them. The small boy was wearing a red jacket with black pants and a black scarf around his neck. His dark hair was covered by a red beanie. The girl wore a pink jacket and blue pants, her brown hair went to her shoulders with a pink beanie on her head.

I smiled softly at them and knelt down to help the little boy finish the middle section of the snowman I had started on while Sakura helped the girl with the head. Mrs. Kimura came over to us and watched as I helped the boy whose name I had figured out was Kin, place the ball of snow onto the larger one. The girl was named Akina, which Kin told me.

Akina and Sakura finished rolling the head but they ran into a problem. Sakura turned to me with a sheepish smile. "Sasuke its too heavy, we can't pick it up."

I smirked as she gave me a glare before I walked over to their snowball and lifted it up to place it on top of the others.

"I guess Sakura picked the right guy out of the bunch." Mrs. Kimura said when I turned to them and saw her nudge Sakura in the side teasingly.

She blushed as I tried not to laugh at her reaction as Mrs. Kimura turned to me. "I didn't catch your name dear?"

"Sasuke." I told her.

"Good to meet you."

"Yeah you too."

I felt my sleeve be pulled. "Mr. Sasuke." I looked down and saw Kin standing there.

"Yeah."

"What are we going to use for the face?"

I looked around and walked towards the street. There were a few rocks lying around there so I went to grab them. I had a handful and walked back over to them. "Here are some rocks we could use for the mouth and eyes."

Kin took them from my hands and then I walked over to the tree that was out in Sakura's yard. I moved the snow and found some tree branches plus a small stick. Heading back over to them I placed the branches on either side for the arms and placed the stick on the top ball for the nose.

"Can Akina and I do the face?" Kin asked me and I nodded.

Akina shyly came over to me as I lifted her and Kin into my arms and held them up so they could put the eyes and mouth on the snowman. When they were finished I set them down as Sakura and Mrs. Kimura came over to us.

"Its missing something." Sakura said as she looked over it.

"I agree." Mrs. Kimura said.

Sakura looked at me and her eyes widened slightly. "That's it." She grabbed my scarf and took it off before placing it around the snowman.

"There we go." Sakura smiled.

"Its perfect." Kin and Akina said in unison.

Fang and Raven coming running over before they nearly tackled me to the ground. I managed to keep my balance and pet them on the head to calm them down. They were way bigger than when Sakura and I first met, they could surely knock me to the ground if they wanted to.

I saw Sakura kneel down to Kin and Akina and whisper something to them. They turned to me when Sakura stood back up and grabbed some snow.

"Sakura." I warned her. "Don't."

"Ready guys?" The kids nodded. "Fire." They threw the snow at me and continued picking some up and tossing it at me.

"Ah, you guys don't play fair." I yelled and stepped a good distance away from them. Sakura couldn't throw very far and I don't think the kids could either.

"You better run Sasuke." Mrs. Kimura said as Kin and Akina came running after me.

I ended up having a snow fight with them as Sakura and Mrs. Kimura laughed at us from a distance.

It was already nearing midnight and the kids were starting to yawn, they were getting tired now. "I think its time for you guys to get to bed." I told them.

"I think Sasuke is right." Mrs. Kimura said.

Kin and Akina nodded. "Okay."

We said our goodbyes to them and watched as they went back to their home. Sakura and I headed back inside of ours with Fang and Raven following at our feet. Once we had removed our jacket and shoes we headed upstairs. I changed into a pair of black sweats and a dark gray sleeveless shirt while Sakura changed into a pink silk nightgown that reached to just above her knees.

Sakura pulled the blankets back and crawled in. I got in next to her after I shut off the lights and wrapped my arms around her waist to pull her against me. She smiled and kissed me on the lips and I pulled up the blankets to cover us. Fang and Raven came and jumped onto the edge of the bed to sleep. It wasn't unusual, they always slept there. Sakura sighed quietly as she closed her eyes.

"I love you." She spoke into the night.

"I love you too Sakura." I nuzzled her neck and kissed it before I drifted off to sleep, finally being at peace.

* * *

I don't know what time it is, but I felt someone playing with my hair. They were just running fingers through it as if to comb it. I opened my eyes and I came face to face with the green orbs I fell in love with. She smiled at me before reaching to rest her hand against my cheek.

"Good morning." She greeted me.

"Morning." I mumbled still a bit sleepy.

"Did you sleep okay last night?"

"Only because you were there."

She seemed surprised by my answer, but she smiled nonetheless and leaned towards me to leave a soft kiss on my lips. My phone suddenly rang, and I had to suppress a frustrated growl, I turned to grab it from the nightstand and answered it.

"Hello?"

It was the guy from the newspaper, the editor. I figured he would be calling soon, he gave me some time off to recover from the accident, now he must need me for something.

"Yeah, I'll be there." I sat up and removed the blanket. "Alright bye."

"What's going on?" Sakura asked me as she got up too.

"There was roll over car accident, I have to go gets some pictures from it." I explained as I changed into a pair of black jeans and a black long-sleeved shirt. I sat on the bed and put on my socks before getting to my feet and grabbing my camera. Sakura slipped on her red robe and followed me downstairs.

"You're not taking that motorcycle are you, cause if you think you are, you're out of your mind. Take my car." She threw me the keys.

"You think I'm stupid?" I asked her with a smirk on my face.

"Well, most guys would try and drive a motor bike instead of a car."

"Hey, I'm not most guys."

"I know, but can you blame me for worrying?"

"No I guess not." I put on my boots before slipping on my jacket.

She came to kiss me. "Be careful. Its supposed to snow again today. The girls are coming over today, so when you get back there will be a house full of women."

"I will. I'll be back before you know it. And a whole bunch of girls here....oh great." I smiled and kissed her again and headed out the door. "I'll see if the guys want to come over too if you want." She yelled when she stood near the open doorway.

"Maybe. I'll be back later." I waved to her and got into the car and drove off down the road.

Hopefully I wouldn't get caught in any snow before I could get back.

* * *

It was twelve in the afternoon when I left home, now its fuckin' five o'clock pm and I was barely leaving my employers building. I had dropped off the pictures when I rushed to get them developed. Damn I didn't think it would have taken this long. As I drove down the road, the sky grew dark and cloudy. Fuck. Its snowing.

It was getting heavier now, this isn't good. There was already snow on the ground and it snowing again meant it would only get deeper. Shit. The snow covered the window and blocked my view, I turned on the windshield wipers but more just kept piling on.

I shook my head and decided I would have to pull off to the side of the road and flipped the emergency lights on, they would blink and let passing cars know not to pull where I was in case they decided to get off the road as well.

I pulled out my phone and dialed Sakura's mobile. When she answered I tried to talk to her but the connection kept breaking up. Damn it. Now what? The heater in the car was on, but I know I can't leave that on too long.

It wasn't until about an hour later that the storm turned into a light snowfall. I turned on the wipers again to clear the snow from the windshield, and it seemed it would stay off long enough for me to get home. Deciding if I should risk it, I chose to pull out onto the road, careful not to go too fast for fear of spinning out or something.

The road was pretty much buried and I'm surprised Sakura's car could drive through it like it was. Getting closer, just a little more ways to go. I saw the lights of Sakura's home and sighed with relief when I pulled into the driveway and parked the car, I noticed several other cars too, one which belonged to Juugo. Shutting the motor off I leaned my head back for a few seconds before opening the door and getting out.

I stepped into at least a few inches or so of snow. I made my way through it all as I tugged my jacket closer to my body when a cold wind blew over me. I opened the door of the house and stepped inside before I removed my coat and hung it on the coat rack, Fang and Raven came running to me. I removed my shoes as well as Sakura came out of the living room.

Her eyes were red, she had been crying. Shit. She ran to me and hugged me tightly and I could only wrap my arms around her. She looked up to me as the gang walked out of the living room as well.

"Sakura what's wrong?" I asked her.

"I thought something happened to you." She cried out. "When you called and then it suddenly broke up I didn't know what was going on. I thought you got into an accident or something."

"The snow was so bad, it messed with the connection. I'm fine, I had to pull off to the side of the road because the snow had gotten bad but that's it." She nodded but hugged me tightly again.

"Dude you scared the shit out of us." Naruto jumped in when he walked closer to me.

"Yeah, I'll say." Juugo added as he stepped forward with Mika right behind him.

Sakura finally let me go and we all walked into the living room. It was snowing outside and I don't think any of them want to drive out in it now, so they might end up staying the night here.

"So now what?" As soon as Naruto asked that the power went out.

"Damn." I muttered and made my way out of the room without running into anyone, which is amazing, I don't know how I pulled that off. "I'll be back."

When I walked into the kitchen I reach around blindly and found the drawer that had candles in it. There were several of them.

_Now I just need a lighter._

"Hey Sasuke." I heard, well I think it was Shikamaru call me.

"Yeah, you find anything we could use to light our way."

"I found the candles Sakura has, but I need a lighter for them."

"I have one."

"Alright pass it over here."

He came closer and I felt something touch my hand. I used my thumb to light it and then lit one of the candles I had set on the counter. Once it had been lit, I could see Shikamaru more clearly now. I lit the rest of them and Shikamaru took a couple with him to hand to the others.

We were all seated in the living room, either on the couch, the floor or an object they found they could sit on.

"So what do we do?" Ino asked.

"How about a game?" Tenten suggested.

"What kind of game?" Juugo asked.

"Um, how about truth or dare? Or maybe who can tell the most embarrassing story about anyone in the room?"

"I like the second one," Ino declared.

"I agree with Ino," Sai put in. Figures, no surprise there.

"Who's first than?" Tenten asked all of us.

"I got one," Juugo came forward. Shit!!

"I wonder who it could be about." I muttered sarcastically.

"Shut up and deal with it."

"Okay, when Sasuke and I went to high school together, there were a group of girls, and-"

"Juugo shut up!! I'll kill you!!"

He hesitated and was about to say something when Fang and Raven started barking. I turned to them and stood up, there were sirens coming from outside and I saw the lights outside the window. The doorbell rang and I went to go and answer it. Itachi stood there with a police officer.

"What's going on?"

"Sasuke, please tell me Koji is here?" My eyes widened.

"No, he's not. What happened?"

"Damn it," Itachi cursed and ran a hand through his hair. "Sasuke, Koji is gone. We don't know where he is?"

He nearly had tears in his eyes. "Where did you last see him?" I asked as I slipped on my boots and then put on my jacket.

Sakura came over to me along with everyone else. "What's wrong?"

"Sakura Koji is missing." Her eyes went wide like mine had. "I want you to stay here, I'm going to help them search."

"But Sasuke-"

"Sakura please," I pleaded before she nodded reluctantly.

"Itachi, where did you last see him?" I asked again.

"We were at the park, and he just disappeared?

"What were you doing when he disappeared?" I asked as I followed Itachi and the police officer to the car.

"I was running around with him and when I turned to say something to Suki he was gone when I looked back to where he was supposed to be."

"I don't think he'd go anywhere too far from the park. Let's head over there." I told the officer.

"We already checked out that area." The officer said. "But its possible we over looked something."

Once we got to the park I exited the policeman's car and began walking around after I asked to borrow his flashlight. I don't know what kind of clues to look for but I wasn't going to give up. I spotted something on one of the bushes and walked over to it. It was covered by snow but it was still visible.

I grabbed it and shook the snow off of it. "Itachi, was Koji wearing a scarf?"

"Yeah." He ran over to me and saw the piece of cloth in my hand. "That's his scarf."

"It doesn't look like its been here for very long, it would be soaked from the snow if it was, but its still dry." I gave it to Itachi as I walked around a little more.

I don't know what got into me, it was like I knew what I was doing out here.

I knelt down to the ground when I spotted small footprints, they were fresh, it was snowing so if they had been here a while they would have gotten covered. I followed them along the ground until I reached the play area. There was a small tube like structure for kids to play in and the footprints led to it.

Walking down to it, I knelt down and shined the light into it. There was a small figure huddled against the inside of the tube. "Koji?"

The figure looked up and turned to me, it was him. He had been crying, and when he saw it was me he crawled out and hugged me.

"Itachi!" I called for him.

He came running at my yell and he shined the flashlight he had to where I was. He spotted Koji and I and came running over to us. "Daddy." He said when he saw Itachi.

Koji was freezing from what I could tell when he hugged me. I pulled away and removed my jacket to cover him with it before wrapping my arms around him again. Itachi came and knelt down by my side and removed his jacket as well. Itachi picked him up and held him close and we headed back to the car to see the officer come over to us.

He radioed the other officers and told them he had been found. They grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around Koji to give him more warmth.

The policeman came over to me. "You have a good eye for investigating."

"Thanks."

"Our station is looking for a private investigator, give us a call if you're interested."

* * *

I arrived back home at about ten o'clock and I saw that the gang was still there, the power had come back on and they had fallen asleep watching a movie. They were laying against the wall, or against the couch, a couple of them were on the couch. I shook my head at them as removed my boots and hung my jacket up and walked over to shut the TV off.

I shut off the lights and went up the stairs to the room. I saw Sakura laying on the bed staring at the ceiling wearing a red silk nightgown this time. I walked over to her and knelt down on the bed as she tried to sit up but I pushed her down.

"Did you find him?" She asked hopefully.

"Yeah, he was at the park hiding in the play area."

"Thank god. I was worried."

"He's fine now, we took him to the hospital to get him checked out, and he's fine."

"Good."

I kissed her before getting off the bed and going to change into my black sweats and gray sleeveless shirt. I came back and crawled in next to her and rested my arm over her stomach and nuzzled my face against her neck like I did last night.

"We're supposed to leave tomorrow. Are you ready for the long drive?" I asked her.

"Yeah, I can't wait to get to the cabin."

"Night Sakura."

"Night." She replied back and rested her hand over my arm that was draped over her stomach.

The week we are going to spend at the cabin should be pretty interesting.

**A/N Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter. Here's another one for you guys.**

**And I have decided I am going to finish this story before I continue the rest. But the next chapters for the other stories are already being completed.**


	14. Just You And Me

**Just You And Me**

~I bet you thought that I was soft and sweet  
You thought an angel swept you off your feet  
Well I'm about to turn up the heat  
I'm here For Your Entertainment~

I had woken up at five to pack clothes and other belongings for the trip. Which included my camera, leashes for the dogs, brushes for both Sakura and I, and Raven and Fang and extra jackets along with our toothpaste and toothbrushes.

Once I had changed into my black jeans, I slipped my belt through my pants and walked over to the side of the bed. It was eight o'clock now so it was time to wake Sakura up. I leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"Sakura its time to get up."

She moaned, a noise saying she didn't want to get out of bed. "I don't want to get up."

"Come on, we have six hours to drive, let's go." I pulled the blanket off of her but she just huddled herself closer to the sheets as I set the blanket at the end of the bed.

"Do I have to?"

"Yes. We have to make a few stops on our way there. Now get up." She refused to move and I sighed before thinking to myself.

I went over to her and leaned down, I pressed my lips to hers and gave her a deep, long kiss. Her eyes fluttered open when I pulled away and she gave a pouting face. "Why did you stop?"

"Get up." I smirked. "Or I'm going to pick you up and take you out to the car dressed as you are."

"Keep me warm and that will be fine." She grinned.

I raised my eyebrow at her and I think she was surprised when I lifted her into my arms.

"Okay, okay! I'll get dressed!" She yelled at me.

"I knew that would work."

"I'll get you back for that stunt." She promised me as I set her down.

"Oh right, sure you will, now hurry up," I told her and slipped my black long sleeved shirt on and grabbed the bags I had packed before waking her up. "I'm going to go warm up the car."

"Okay." I heard her yell as I headed down the stairs.

I slipped on my boots after I had set the bags by the door. Juugo, Naruto and the others left half an hour ago after telling me to be careful on our way to the mountains. Fang and Raven had followed me from upstairs they knew we were going somewhere. I slipped my jacket on and grabbed the keys. I picked up the bags and opened the door to walk outside. The snowing had died off last night and the roads were cleared so I knew we wouldn't run into any bad blizzards, or at least I hoped we wouldn't.

Opening the trunk I set the bags inside and left it open, there were still things I needed to put in there. I walked around to the driver's side and opened the door. I sat down in the seat and started the car, I turned on the heater and switched it to defrost before I got out and closed the door. I brushed the snow from the windows before I went back inside.

I went upstairs and saw Sakura dressed in her black shirt and blue jeans. "Hey, do you want to take some extra blankets? There's no telling how cold it'll get."

"Yeah we should." She agreed and snagged the blanket from our bed and folded it up. "What about extra pillows?"

"If you want. I know you're going to want to have one in the car so you can sleep." I smirked.

"So." She crossed her arms and turned away. "I can sleep if I want."

"Did I say it was a problem?"

I grabbed the pillows from the bed and set those on the blanket she had folded. I picked them up and left the room with Sakura right behind me.

"Do you need to tell your parents where you're going?"

"My mom already knows, she's the one that helped me find the cabin." I explained. "What about your parents?"

"I told my mom yesterday after you left to go take the pictures."

"Good. We are settled then." We headed outside once Sakura put on her jacket and locked up the house once Fang and Raven followed us out.

I set the last of the things in the back and closed it. I kept one of the pillows and handed it to Sakura, I knew she was going to end up falling asleep during the ride up there. I let Fang and Raven get into the backseat of the car then shut the door. They settled themselves down and I crawled into the driver's seat with Sakura on the passenger side.

I switched the heater from defrost so it would blow heat to the floorboards and to our hands and faces. It was warm and cozy to say the least.

"Will we hit any snow on the way up there?" She asked me.

"We shouldn't, the news woman said the winter storms were over, but if we do get anything it will be a light snowfall, not enough to stop us from going to the mountains." I reassured her. "The roads have been cleared and the snow is slightly melting, so I think we'll be fine."

"Okay."

I nodded and pulled out of the driveway and drove down the road. I turned down a long stretch of road, there were a few stores that were open twenty four hours a day, before we would head into the mountain ranges, and I had to stop at one to get some supplies.

Once I pulled into the stores parking lot, I got out after telling Sakura I would be back. I entered the market place and browsed around before finding some dog food. I grabbed two bags, they should last Fang and Raven for a week if not longer, they were pretty big bags. I also picked up a gallon of water and a bowl for them to drink out of.

Glancing at all of the items, I figured Sakura would want some snacks to eat on the way there so I picked up some chips, crackers, candy for her sweet-tooth and some mixed peanuts and corn nuts. The last thing I grabbed were a few water bottles for Sakura and I to drink.

Luckily the mountains had a small market place up there too. I would need to make sure we got an axe so we could chop some firewood.

After paying for my things, I headed back to the car and handed the bags to Sakura who put them on the floorboard in the back before I got back into the seat. When I had my seat-belt on we left down the road.

This was going to be a long ride.

* * *

It was nearing one in the afternoon when I stopped at the mountain market. Sakura had fallen asleep, and she was still sleeping from what I could tell. I got out of the car and headed into the store. I looked around and I finally found an axe, I would need this if we ran out of firewood. I spotted something else on a shelf, I smirked, I would need one of those for what I was having delivered to the cabin.

Once I had them paid for I went back out to the car and opened the trunk to put what I had purchased in there. I closed it as quietly as I could so I wouldn't wake Sakura up.

I got back into the car and pulled out of the parking lot. We were only about fifteen minutes away from the cabin and a light snowfall had started up. I sighed as it got heavier, damn newswomen and men can't get the weather right for shit.

I turned down a road and soon the cabin came into view. It was a two-story cabin made completely out of logs. The balcony was in the back facing the lake that the cabin was near. Hundreds of trees were surrounding it, as if hiding it away. There was snow all over the ground, it looked pretty deep too.

I pulled in and shut the car engine off. I looked over to Sakura, she was still sound asleep, I smiled and shook my head. I got out and opened the back door to let Fang and Raven out before I opened the trunk.

Grabbing the bags I began taking our things inside. The last of the luggage I took in were the bags of snacks, dog food and the other supplies I had bought at the stores we stopped at and the blankets and pillows which included the one I had taken from Sakura, don't worry she was still asleep.

There was only one last thing, well person, to bring into the house and that was Sakura. Once I had shut the trunk and the doors on my side, I walked over and opened her door. I touched her shoulder lightly.

"Sakura."

She shifted before giving out a tired moan. Shaking my head I just reached around her and unbuckled her seat-belt before lifting her into my arms, what do they call it bridal style? I don't know. I shut her door with my foot and headed inside. Fang and Raven followed me and ran into the cabin before I shut the door.

Sakura was still tired, did she not get enough sleep last night? That made me wonder. I carried her up the stairs, deciding I would let her sleep. I placed her down on the bed and removed her jacket and shoes, before I covered her with the blanket.

I left and headed back downstairs where I spotted Fang and Raven. I walked into the kitchen and grabbed the dog food. I filled up their water bowl, before getting a bowl from the cabinet. The people that rented this cabin to me stocked it up with everything. I guess I shouldn't expect any less for what I paid for it. We had a fridge filled with food that I told them we would eat.

They took care of everything, we just had to make sure we didn't break or wreck anything here, which meant I should keep an eye on the dogs, they can get into some trouble when Sakura and I weren't around.

Once I filled up the bowl with food I set it on the ground so they could eat. I grabbed the axe and went outside, there were a few pieces of wood in the house but we'll need more.

I walked around the trees, I didn't want to cut down one so I opted to look for one that had already fallen. Luckily I found one. It would do just fine, I raised the axe and began breaking it up with the tool in my hand. Once I was finished I picked up several large pieces and tucked them under my arm before grabbing the axe and heading back to the cabin.

When I got inside I set the axe by the door and walked into the living room. I figured I would get the fireplace going to warm up the cabin. Throwing some of the wood into the fireplace built into the wall, I grabbed the matches and lit one before tossing it onto the wood. After it was lit I leaned back and suddenly felt someone wrap their arms around me and rest their head against my back.

"You're finally awake." I said as she let me ago so I could turn around.

"Yeah." I wrapped my arms around her as she hugged me. "I saw the hot tub upstairs, want to go relax with me?"

"Hm, maybe later tonight." I whispered into her ear before going to her lips to leave a kiss on them.

"Is that a promise?" She grinned.

"You can bet on it." I smirked.

"I can't wait." She nibbled on my ear which sent shivers down my back.

"Okay stop that." I pulled away and looked her in the eyes.

She gave me a pouting face before smiling when I raised my brow at her. "So what are we going to do until tonight comes?"

"I don't know, what do you want to do?"

"Is the lake frozen?"

"Yeah, people go ice skating all the ti-" I paused and looked at her. "No, I don't do ice skating."

"Aw, why not?" She whined.

"I just don't." My face turned red.

"You don't know how, do you?" She smiled.

I didn't answer her but turned away with a blush on my face as she grinned. "Have I ever told you how cute you look when you blush?"

"No..."

"Come on, we'll go try it."

"How do you plan on doing that?"

"The closet upstairs has three sets of ice skates."

Fuck, why did the owners of this place have to think of everything? Maybe I'll get lucky and they won't fit me. Yeah, oh man please don't let those damn things fit me.

* * *

I guess I shouldn't have hoped for too much, those skates fit me just fine, the same with Sakura. Damn it. I watched as she skated in circles before coming to a stop next to me.

"Come on Sasuke."

"I really don't want to." I said hesitantly and stared at her.

"Just take my hand, please?" She pleaded to me.

I swear I spoil her, but I grabbed her hand anyway. She pulled me onto the ice causing me to nearly fall. She held onto me the entire time, that was until I fell and ended up bringing her down with me. She landed on top of me and she could only laugh at my red face.

"Stop laughing at me." I muttered and flicked her nose softly.

"Hey, I have every right to laugh, you laughed at me when I got that brush stuck in my hair." She giggled.

I remained silent. She had a point.

She shook her head before leaning down to kiss me. "Come on, get up."

It took me awhile until I was able to skate without falling down. And Sakura decided we would play a little game, and by game I mean where she's the only one playing. She kept trying to knock me down, and each time I tried to grab her to make her stop.

Then we began to notice other people begin showing up at the lake to skate as well. I guess its a popular thing out here. But what annoyed me was the fact that a lot of girls my age were showing up. And it would just be my luck they didn't have any boyfriends, great here we go again.

Sakura rushed passed me and ended up knocking me down.

"Damn it Sakura!" I shouted at her.

She turned and giggled before sticking her tongue at me. I twitched at her actions and when I stood to skate after her a group of girls came over to me causing me to stop, but these girls didn't look any older than sixteen or seventeen. Why would they be coming over here?

"Hey, aren't you that photographer that has a set of photos called _Darkness Falls_?" The blond one asked me.

"Yeah, that would be me."

"Oh my god, your self portraits in that set are amazing." The brown haired one squealed.

"Uh, thanks?" I said unsure of what to say.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Sakura staring at me. She was giggling at me, and I think it was because of the look on my face. She skated over to see what was up and stopped by my side.

"We are taking a photography class at our high school, our teacher has been trying to get a guest speaker, do you think you could come and talk to our class?" The brown-haired girl asked me. "Our class loves your pictures, our teacher uses them as examples to show us."

"Um, I think I could arrange something, once the schools go back from winter break I'll contact your teacher." I told them. "Do you have an email or phone number?"

"Email." Once I was told the information they went off to continue skating.

"You're becoming the popular one aren't you?" Sakura said as she grinned.

I shrugged. "Maybe." Than gave her a smirk.

"Let's head back, I'm cold." She smiled mischievously. "That _cuddling_ would surely come in handy right now." She wiggled her eye brows suggestively.

I chuckled. "Naughty Sakura."

"You like me being Naughty."

"I can't argue with that."

We started to head back and I noticed there were three girls following us, once I had changed into my boots I stood and watched them as they pointed and giggled at me. Their faces were red and some of them had sly smiles on their lips. They gestured to me with their finger, were they being serious?

I chuckled inwardly, yeah like I was going to go for them. I shook my head at them and turned back to Sakura who had changed her skates back to her shoes. I grabbed her skates and carried them for her. She spotted the girls and then turned to me.

"What's up with them? She asked me.

I rolled my eyes. "Do I really have to explain it?"

She laughed at me. "Are they wanting a piece of your hot ass Sasuke?"

"Sakura!"

She laughed as my eye twitched from what she said. She smiled sheepishly before turning away innocently.

"Don't play that innocent card with me pinky."

I smirked since she twitched. She turned to me with a glare and I decided to repeat her action from earlier and turned away innocently. I glanced at her from the corner of my eye and saw she had a pout on her face, but still with an angry expression. Smirking I stepped towards her only to have her back away from me.

"You can't dodge me forever Sakura." I stated and set the skates down in the snow.

She stepped back again and tried to turn and run but I caught her by the waist.

"Let me go!"

"Make me."

"Sasuke!" She growled as she squirmed in my arms and ended up falling taking me down with her.

I landed on top of her and sat up on my knees before I leaned down to kiss her. Once I pulled away I stood up and turned around and went to grab the skates.

"Sasuke!" She whined and stood to come after me.

I didn't give her a chance to catch me since I started running back to the cabin with her chasing me. I didn't think she would catch up to me as fast as she did. But when I stopped and turned around I was tackled to the ground instantly with her on top of me again.

"What the hell was that for?"

"I don't know." She stated. "I just felt like doing it."

And I'm in love with this girl. Maybe I should rethink my girlfriends....Nah, I love Sakura the way she is, if she didn't act the way she did, then she wouldn't be the girl I fell in love with.

"Sasuke?"

"Yeah."

"Can we take some pictures?"

"I guess we can."

"Yay."

* * *

Sakura snatched my camera out of my hands and aimed it at herself. She grabbed my arm and forced me to be in the shot with her. But before she took the picture, she said something to me and I turned to her. When I did she kissed me and that's when she took the picture.

"I wasn't ready for that one."

"Let's take it again then."

She kissed me and took another picture. I'm sure that one turned out just fine.

Fang and Raven came running over since they had been running around in the snow. They were more than likely a bit tired. But they were happily nonetheless and I knelt down to pet them. Fang touched his nose to mine and I smiled before I heard a click. I turned to see Sakura standing there with a grin on her face.

"Aw, now that's going to be a cute picture."

"You're not being fair, why don't you take one with Raven."

She nodded and walked over to her dog and knelt down, Raven did the same thing to Sakura that Fang had done to me, and that's when I took the picture. Sakura stood back up and grabbed the camera out of my hands again.

"Why do you keep doing that?" I asked with a smirk on my face.

"No reason."

"Yes there is, you're starting to get into photography aren't you?" I grinned at her.

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not."

"Bullshit, I know you have." I chuckled at her.

"So what? I love the pictures that you take, they are amazing, and I want to see if I can do the same." She smiled softly.

"If you want, I can show you what to do." I offered.

"Like what?" She asked.

"Well, there's timing, to get the lighting right, there's looking for the perfect angle to take the pictures at, and even finding the right location is tough." I explained. "But we're here in the mountains and this is a great place to take photos."

"You really think I have the skill?"

"Its not about having skill. Well I don't think that anyway. I think photography is being able to express yourself through photos, and every person is an artist in that in some shape or form. Not everyone likes to take that step because they think their photos come out ugly or horrible." I stated. "But there really isn't a bad way to take pictures, its just a matter of having the guts to pick up the camera and go out and try."

She thought for a second before smiling at me. "You know, you give good advice, especially with photography, have you ever thought about teaching a class?"

"I thought about once or twice but I never really thought deeply on it."

"Well think now, because you'd make a great teacher."

"You think so?"

"I know so."

"Maybe."

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know. There are so many things out there that I could do. When Itachi and I went to find Koji, the police officer said I had a good eye for investigating, and he said I should call them if I was interested."

"Who says you can't do both? I don't think you'll be investigating all the time. So in your spare time, teach a photography class at a college or something."

"Maybe you're right, I'll have to think about all of this. It's a tough decision."

"Yeah it is, but in the meantime, be my teacher and help me in my beginner level of photography."

"Alright." I smiled.

I spent the rest of the daylight showing her when times were right to take the pictures and told her how, the time the picture is taken can result in a different color in the sunsets. Some could be purple, blue, even orange and yellow. She was starting to get the hang of it, and she found that she loved doing it.

Photography is like experimenting, there is always a new way to take a photo.

* * *

It was late in the day, about six or seven and the sun had already gone down. I wore a pair of black sweats with a gray t-shirt, while Sakura wore gray sweats and a pink spaghetti strap. We were sitting on the couch covered by a blanket watching a movie. We had eaten dinner an hour ago, which Sakura and I both cooked together.

There was suddenly a knock on the door and Sakura went to answer it. I smirked when she saw a man standing there with a dozen roses, eleven of them were red and the last one was white.

"Mrs. Haruno?"

"Yes."

"Here these are for you." He stated and held the roses out for her to take.

She took the roses from his hand as he left allowing her to shut the door. She turned to me before grabbing the small card and opening it to read it. Her eyes widened before a smile made its way to her lips.

_In every bunch there's one who stands out - you are that one._

_I love you,_

_Sasuke_

"Aw Sasuke." She walked over to me as I stood up before she kissed me. "Thank you."

I chuckled and kissed her back. "What do I put these in?"

"I bought a vase at that store we stopped at before heading up here." I told her remembering the vase I had bought beforehand.

"You just thought of everything didn't you?" She grinned and we headed into the kitchen and she filled up the vase with water before setting the flowers in it.

Her back was turned to me so I walked up behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist and began to nibble on her neck. She leaned her head back against me as I continued nibbling and kissing her neck. She turned in my arms so she could face me and leave a kiss on my neck and up my cheek to follow my jawline. She finished with a kiss on my lips, I kissed her back and she pulled away.

"Want to try that hot tub now?" She smiled playfully.

"If it will make you happy."

She raced up the stairs and I followed her shaking my head. When I walked into the room, I didn't see her, I looked around but she wasn't anywhere in sight.

_Where did she go?_

As soon as I walked towards the bed, she appeared behind me and tackled me onto the mattress.

She sat up a little so I could turn onto my back before she held my hands down on the bed above my head while she sat on my hips. She smiled seductively at me and my eyes widened when she leaned down to nibble on my neck.

I tried not to moan at her touch but it just slipped out. "What about the hot tub?"

"Forget the hot tub, there's something else I want." She purred into my ear as I clenched my eyes shut.

"Sakura." I managed to say despite what she was doing to me.

I suddenly felt her hold on me loosen and I looked at her. She was getting ready to remove her shirt so I took this opportunity to flip our positions. She was surprised by my action and I held her arms down this time.

"Sasuke." She whined. "That's not fair."

"It is fair when you're being naughty."

"You're being naughty too." She pouted.

"True." I smiled and leaned down to kiss her. "I'm going to give you what you want."

"Its about time." She giggled.

I leaned down to whisper in her ear, and what I said made her turn several shades of red. "I'm going to make you scream all night long."

**A/N There will be M rated content next chapter, I'm just being mean and making you wait XD but seriously it won't be long until the next chapter is posted.**

**And one favor, there is a poll on my profile, just vote for which story you think I should start once Ignored Love has ended. There are a list of them in my profile along with a summary for each.**

**Thanks in advance.**

**~Kakashi500**


	15. Nights Of Love And Surprises

**Nights Of Love And Surprises  
**

~I told ya, Imma hold ya down until you're amazed  
Give it to ya til your screamin' my name  
No escaping when I start  
Once I'm in I own your heart~

I kissed Sakura fiercely on the lips and she returned it as she wrapped her arms around my neck to pull me in deeper. I slipped my tongue into her mouth and hers took on mine in a battle for dominance. I came out the victor and smirked once I pulled away.

"You always beat me in that." She giggled.

"I know." I grinned.

Reaching for the strap of her shirt I played with it until she whined out, a sound that said she was getting impatient. I lifted her shirt up and left a few kisses on her stomach and on her sides before moving it up to remove it which she assisted me in by sitting up. Once I tossed it to the floor I moved to her shoulder and left kisses along her skin and up to her neck causing her to moan out. I sucked on the flesh of her neck to leave another mark, it was a habit I picked up.

Her hands traveled to my waist to lift up my shirt and I helped her to take it off as she threw it on the floor next to hers. Just as I was about to remove her pants she pushed me over onto my back and leaned down to attack my lips with her own. I let her have some form of dominance but this was all that she was going to get.

I took this opportunity to unclasp her bra and when she leaned back up it slid down her arms which allowed her to toss it to the floor. Her perked nipples stood out the most in the darkness of the room and I reached my hand out to massage one of her breasts as she let out a gasp from the coolness of my touch.

She wasn't expecting that, but she moaned out anyway when my fingers played with the tip of her nipple with a slow gesture. She leaned her head back and I pushed myself up to kiss between her breasts before running my tongue around her mound but not touching her nipple just yet, which she cried in protest at.

I smirked at her and her eyes widened when I flipped our positions again which I don't think she was expecting especially since she let out a yelp. I moved my hands down her waist to her pants and began slipping them off of her. Once I had them off, they fell to the floor with the other articles of clothing.

Deciding I would do something different, I leaned down to kiss her forehead, then down to her eyes, down to her cheek and her lips, all in slow movements. I kissed every inch of her body as slowly as I could, all the way from her forehead, to her chest and down her stomach to her thighs. I don't think she liked being teased that way, but I couldn't help but smirk against her skin.

"Stop teasing." She mumbled out as she ran her hands through my hair.

I think I had her in suspense when my breath touched her perked nipple and she just bit her lip until I took it into my mouth. I massaged the other while I licked and sucked at the one I had my attention on. Sakura let out a deep moan as she began to pant and shiver at my touch. I switched to her other breast to give it the same treatment and that drove her crazy.

"Do you like that Sakura?" I whispered once I moved my lips to her neck again.

I pulled away in time to see her nod her head slowly. Her cheeks were lightly pink as her eyes were half lidded.

"Do you want more?" I teased her. "All you have to do is say yes."

I moved my leg in between hers and she clenched her eyes shut at the pressure I was putting on her most delicate spot. Her face was red, I love how I can still make her blush even if we've done this a few times before.

"Still waiting Sakura."

"Yes!" She squealed out and her face immediately turned red from embarrassment. I don't think she wanted to give in that easily but she couldn't stop herself.

Smirking, I removed her last piece of clothing and moved down and spread her legs, then went to her inner thigh to leave kisses there and up to her soft curls. I teased her by letting my breath linger against her before she whimpered at that. I decided to let her have it when I plunged my tongue into her. She bucked her hips as a reaction to what I did so I lifted my hands to hold her down so she couldn't move.

"Sasuke." A moan escaped her lips after she said my name. "Please."

Just when she thought she would cum, I pulled away and gave her a smirk.

"No," She whined. "Why did you stop?"

"To tease you."

She gave me puppy dog eyes and I only smiled at her action. She helped me to remove my pants and boxers since she didn't want to wait any longer. When she attempted to push me onto my back I stopped her and shook my head.

"Tonight, its all about pleasuring you," She shifted impatiently and I paused for a second before I went down on her again.

As my tongue entered her folds again she cried out as I licked and sucked harder than the last time I had done this to her, and she loved every second of it. The moans that came from her mouth told me enough to know that. I soon felt her walls tighten against my tongue and I knew she came, the sweet taste that filled my mouth let me know her first orgasm hit her. I licked her clean and sat back up.

Her breathing was ragged as she stared at me.

"Are you ready to scream out loud?" I whispered huskily to her.

She nodded slowly and I took this as my cue to thrust into her. She clutched and clawed at my back as I slowly drove my hard length in and out of her in slow movements. She bucked her hips to meet my thrusts with her own but I held her hips down to prevent her from doing so. She made a noise that sounded like a moan and a whine combined.

"Ah, Sasuke. Please, go faster." She begged me.

"I don't think I will." I groaned out with a smirk on my face as I kept my slow rhythm. I went to leave a kiss on her lips before continuing with what I was doing.

"Please Sasuke." She moaned out, but just as she said that an orgasm hit her causing her to gasp out.

"Scream for me Sakura and maybe I'll go faster for you." I chuckled as my thrusts became slower and slower. But this was painful for me, I wanted to go faster but I kept myself in check, and not give into to her moans and pleas.

She moaned and gripped the bed sheets in her fists. Her hold tightened when she felt herself cum again when another orgasm shot through her. She threw her head back on the pillow and shut her eyes at the feeling.

I didn't stop my thrusts, but they were still set at a slow pace. Once Sakura screamed out I would comply to her request to go faster. But I just loved teasing her this way, and the way she kept moaning at what I was doing turned me on.

"Ah!" She screamed as another wave of pleasure sent shivers through her body. "Sasuke!" That's what I was waiting for.

I placed my hands at her sides as my knees sat on the bed to steady myself and I increased my pace to a faster one in gradual movements so I wouldn't do it all at once. I let a groan escape from my mouth as I continued my thrusts.

"Oh Sasuke! Harder!" She screamed out in ecstasy. "Harder!" She repeated.

I rammed into her again and she moaned loudly at the feeling. "Ah Sakura." I managed to say as another moan came from my mouth.

"Sasuke." She brought her hand to her face to try and stifle her moans by covering her mouth.

"Don't do that Sakura. I love listening to those moans you're making." I smirked as I pulled her hand away.

"Sasu-ah!" She didn't get to finish saying my name when she yelled out again.

I drove my hard length into her again and again, and her body reacted with each stroke and movement that I made, which made my body react when her walls tightened around me continuously.

"Sasuke, my limit is com-" She stopped as she cried out in pleasure again.

I felt myself reaching my limit as well, that feeling came back to my stomach, like something was getting tighter and tighter until I finally reached my breaking point. Her walls tightened around me one final time sending jolts of pleasure through me until I hit my peak and she screamed one last time before her body relaxed and I collapsed on top of her.

Both of us were breathing heavily, our faces and bodies were sweaty after what we just did. Pulling out of her I rolled to her side and pulled the blanket up to cover our naked bodies. I turned onto my stomach and rested my head on the pillow with my face looking towards her as she shifted onto her side so she could look at me.

She smiled at me and reached out to brush away my hair that was sticking to my face from sweating after our activity.

"Wow." She said with a wide smile. "That was way more intense than the first time we did it."

"I'd have to agree with you on that." I smirked.

"There's something I've been wondering since we did it that night."

"What?" I asked.

"Well, you seemed to know what you were doing, and I was wondering if you had previous experience before that night?"

"You mean did I have sex with Karin?"

"Well not just her, I mean-" She stopped.

"I know what you mean, and I can see you're getting a little...jealous at the thought, aren't you?" I teased her with a smirk on my face.

"Shut up. I would tell you if you asked." She muttered with a red face.

"Fine tell me." I smirked.

"I never had sex before that night."

She did tell me, so I guess I should tell her.

"You want the honest truth?"

"Yes."

"Truthfully, I was a virgin until I did it with you." I said before continuing. "So no I didn't have any prior experience when I did it with you, I went on instinct and what I felt was right."

"Seriously? You mean Karin never tried to get you to do it with her?"

"Yeah, you can ask Juugo, he knows, I was always the reserved type and didn't like to get close like that to people." I continued. "Karin tried to initiate it a couple of times, but I couldn't go through with it."

"So, why did you get close like that to me?"

"Because," I stopped and reached over to move the hair that was in her face, "When I met you, there was something about you that made you different. And I know that you're the one that I want to spend my life with."

She moved closer to me so our faces were only inches apart and she smiled before kissing me softly on the lips. She glanced at the angel wings tattoo on my back briefly and turned her gaze back to me. "Maybe I should get a tattoo when we go back."

"Seriously." I asked as she nodded.

"What were you planning on getting?"

"I don't know, maybe a heart with your name and mine in it," She said.

"Not a bad idea, maybe I'll get your name tattooed on my arm." I smiled when she giggled.

"You know for someone who says they are a dark person, you are the sweetest guy I've ever met, and I'm glad to be with you." She thought for a second. "I'm glad that I fell in love with you."

"You should be glad that I caught you staring that night at the bar. Remember?"

She blushed and I only gave a small laugh at her reaction.

"Yeah, I guess I am glad that you caught me." She grinned.

"I know you are." I smiled.

"Well I-" I kissed her suddenly.

"What was that for? Not that I'm complaining."

"Just cause I love you." I said as she smiled brightly.

"Aw, I love you too Sasuke." She kissed me back. "Hey have you ever had an Eskimo kiss?"

"No."

She leaned forward and gently rubbed the tip of her nose against mine. I chuckled at her when she leaned back. "You're so goofy."

"Admit it though, you like me being goofy."

"No."

Her face turned to one of shock and hurt.

"I _love_ you being goofy." I kissed the tip of her nose before deeply kissing her on the lips.

"How about we go relax in the hot tub for awhile?" I suggested when I pulled away.

"Okay," She smiled and moved to get out of the bed.

She got off the bed with the mattress cover around her body. I moved to her side of the bed and took it off of her before wrapping it around both of us. It was a little chilly so we walked into the large bathroom wrapped in it. Once we reached the bathroom, we heated up the tub and filled it up with hot water. Sakura spotted a bottle of bubble soap and poured some into it.

I knew we wouldn't have to worry about the water getting cold since the hot tub has a heater to keep it warm for us. Sakura and I got into it and she came over to cuddle next to my side. She kissed me and then things started to really heat up again.

* * *

It was around midnight when I heard Fang and Raven barking. They were up here when Sakura and I went to bed, where did they go? Downstairs? I got out of the bed, careful not to wake Sakura up, though I am surprised she is still asleep even when the dogs were barking as loud as they were.

After I slipped on my gray t-shirt, I left the room and headed down the stairs. I rubbed my eye sleepily when I reached the last step. I glanced over to Fang and Raven who were standing on their hind legs with their front paws leaning on the window sill. They were looking at something outside.

"What are you guys barking at?" I questioned even though they couldn't answer me.

I walked over to them, and noticed it was snowing? Damn it, I didn't think it would snow again, but that was just wishful thinking. That couldn't be what Fang and Raven were barking at, could it? Wait, I just saw something outside, the snow was thick so I didn't get a good look at what it was, but it didn't look like a human. An animal maybe? I grabbed my jacket and put it on before slipping on my boots.

I opened the door carefully, there was no telling what could be out here. Fang and Raven were ready to run out the door but I told them to stay which they listened to, but still whined when I opened the door wider. I felt something touch my shoulder. "Ah." Fuck. I actually yelled and jumped.

Turning around I saw Sakura wearing a pink robe. "Damn it Sakura." I sighed with relief.

"Sorry," She laughed since she knew she scared me.

I shook my head and turned back to the outside. "What are you doing?" She asked me.

"There is something out here, Fang and Raven were barking at it earlier."

"It's not a bear is it?" She freaked.

"No, it was too small to be a bear." I stepped out and walked down to the yard with Sakura watching my every move.

"Do you see anything?"

"No. It's probably gone." I said when I turned towards the door.

I was about to head back when I felt something nudge the back of my leg. I froze for a second before turning my head. What I saw surprised me, it was a fawn, a baby deer. I knelt down as it backed away from me slowly. It didn't look older than a few weeks, what the hell is it doing here?

I held out my hand as it approached me, and from the light coming from the open door of the cabin, I spotted it's leg, it was bleeding. I heard a growl and I turned my head to the pack of trees to my left. I saw eyes, but they suddenly disappeared. Was it a mountain lion? Shit. I can't leave this fawn out here by its self.

When I stood the fawn came over to me and stood against my leg as if to shield itself from the cold. Duh, a fawn would normally stay warm with its mother, but there doesn't seem to be another deer around here, well none that I could see with the snow coming down. I thought for a second before I decided I would have to take care of him or her, at least until morning.

"Sasuke, what's wrong?

"You're not going to believe this," I said as I walked back towards the door with the fawn following me, when I stood in the doorway I stepped aside and the fawn came into Sakura's line of vision.

Sakura smiled. "Aw, what's she doing out here? Wait, is it a girl?"

"I think so." Sakura checked the gender and nodded.

"Where was she?"

"She just came up to me, her leg is injured, I think something attacked her. She may have gotten separated from the other deer." I ushered the small deer into the cabin before shutting the door. "I didn't want to leave her out there."

"Well, we'll have to go see if we can't find her mother in the morning." Sakura stated as I agreed with a nod of my head.

The small animal walked around as Fang and Raven walked forward, the fawn and Fang touched noses before the the wild animal walked into the living room and curled up against the couch. My eyes softened.

"I'll go get something to wrap up her leg." I went into the kitchen but I suddenly felt something nudge the back of my leg again when I reached into the cabinet to get the first aid kit.

I turned and spotted the fawn staring up at me as Sakura walked in with the dogs following her. "Aw, she thinks you're her mother."

"What?!" I said with wide eyes as Sakura giggled.

I shook my head and knelt down to the small creature. I gently touched it's leg and it flinched slightly but relaxed when I began cleaning the wound with stuff from the kit. I finished by wrapping the fawn's leg with white gauze, that should do it. I stood up and put the first aid kit away before washing my hands.

With a sigh I turned to Sakura as the deer stood next to me, huddled against my leg. Sakura smiled as I shook my head at her with a raised eye brow. "What am I going to do?"

"Take care of her?" Sakura laughed when I sweat-dropped.

"Ha ha, you're real funny."

"I know I am." She grinned that stupid grin.

"We should get back to bed." I walked back into the living room as the baby deer ran ahead of me and curled up against the couch again. Fang and Raven went over and curled up against her, they would keep her warm, their actions told me that. I sighed and Sakura grabbed my hand and led me back upstairs.

I hope we can find the mother because I sure as hell don't know how to take care of a deer.

* * *

It was already eleven forty-five pm on new years eve. Sakura and I had found the baby deer's mother two days ago, it was a good thing too, the fawn was a little destructive despite being so young, she got excited too easily. Luckily there were a pack of deer not far from the cabin and when the fawn saw them she took off not giving Sakura and I a second glance.

Sakura was glaring at me with a pout on her lips. I told her to try to convince me to play the song I wrote for her. Well, let's just say she was failing miserably at convincing me. She gave me a sly smile and advanced towards me from her position on the couch and came to the spot I was sitting at.

"Please Sasuke." She gave me her puppy dog eyes but I didn't give in, I only smirked at her attempts.

She moved so she sat on my hips, she was brushing herself along private territory. She kissed me and moved her lips to my neck causing me to sigh out loud. "Sakura." I murmured. "Stop, its not working." I lied, it was working but I couldn't let her know that besides I wasn't ready to give in yet.

She whined and pulled back. "No fair, please Sasuke."

"Why?"

"Sasuke!" She cried out. "Please!"

I chuckled at her before her eyes formed another glare. "Stop laughing, its hard convincing you to do something."

She suddenly looked at me before grinning. My eyes widened when she attacked my sides and began tickling me. "Ah. Sakura don't." I tired to stop myself from laughing.

"Got you now!" She laughed as I shifted and ended up falling to my side onto the couch.

She continued tickling me. "OK! OK! I GIVE UP!" I shouted as she stopped.

I tried to catch my breath before pushing her off of me. I walked to the closet near the front door and pulled out an acoustic guitar. I had this brought here before we came, just in case I didn't bring my original guitar, which I didn't.

"Okay, I haven't played the guitar in awhile, so don't laugh." I smiled as I bit my lip before going to sit next to her on the couch.

"I won't." She smiled and stared at me.

I held the guitar in my hands and pushed up the sleeves of my black long-sleeve shirt before slowly strumming the cords as music poured from the strings. I glanced at her briefly to see her eyes watching me intently before returning my attention to the cords. Opening my mouth I began to sing.  
_  
I used to feel lost  
Alone In this crowded world  
But the day came  
When I suddenly changed_

_When you stared into my eyes  
I saw the person you would be  
The laughs that we shared  
Was something I couldn't believe_

_It was the day  
When I first met you  
When I saw your smile  
I went the extra mile  
I swore I wouldn't be the dove  
And fall into the trap of love  
But I can't explain  
How you pulled me through the pain_

_You saved me from myself  
When I was the book that fell off the shelf  
Holding me in your arms not letting go  
Meant more to me than I could ever show  
_

_You understand me  
In more ways than one  
You were the key  
When I couldn't go on_

_It was the day  
When I first met you  
When I saw your smile  
I went the extra mile  
I swore I wouldn't be the dove  
And fall Into the trap of love  
But I can't explain  
How you pulled me through the pain_

_Through the smiles and the cries  
We received multiple tries  
To get this right  
And make it something real_

_You love me for who I am  
I don't care who knows it  
I'll show my love to you  
Cause its me you'll never lose_

_It was the day  
When I first met you  
When I saw your smile  
I went the extra mile  
I swore I wouldn't be the dove  
And fall Into the trap of love  
But I can't explain  
How you pulled me through the pain_

_It was the day that I met you__  
Its the day I won't forget  
A day I couldn't believe was true  
And a day I will never regret  
Because I'll always have you_

I finished the song with a few more cords before finally stopping. I turned my attention to Sakura to see she had tears in her eyes. Fuck. Why do I always make her cry? I set the guitar on the floor to lean it against the couch.

"Sakura? Are you-" She lunged at me and hugged me tightly.

"That was the most amazing thing anyone has ever done for me." She said with a smile despite the tears that were running down her face.

When she pulled away to look at me, I placed my hands against her cheeks to wipe the tears with my thumbs. "What have I told you about crying? Even if they are happy tears I don't like to see you cry."

"I know, but I can't help it." She murmured softly and placed her hands on top of mine before closing her eyes.

I took this opportunity to give her a soft and gentle kiss, it was a long kiss, but still soft and gentle which I think she loved. "Lets go sit on the balcony until the fireworks start."

She nodded her head with agreement and we walked upstairs to go sit out on the upstairs balcony. There was a couch like piece of furniture that we could sit on. I grabbed a blanket to keep us warm and I sat down before she made herself comfortable between my legs as I wrapped the blanket around my back and brought it around to cover her.

With a contented sigh, she leaned back against my chest. "I really loved the song Sasuke."

"I knew you would." I said with a content expression on my face.

"You really know how to please a girl. I can't believe Karin would hurt you the way she did, you deserve so much more." She stated.

"And I have it. You. I love you more than anything."

"Even photography?" She stated with a grin on her lips, she loves to do that.

"Yes even photography," I shook my head with a small smile on my lips.

"Good." She looked up at me and I leaned my head down at an angle so I could kiss her.

"You're my angel." I whispered to her when we pulled away for a breath of air before I crashed my lips to hers again as the fireworks shot into the sky causing Sakura and I to break apart to glance at the way they lit up the sky.

"They are beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as you are." I stated when she looked at me.

"You're too sweet." She leaned up to kiss me again as the fireworks continued to light up the sky.

"The day you stop being beautiful is the day I stop being sweet."

"You mean when I'm old and wrinkled you won't be sweet to me anymore." She faked being hurt.

"That won't happen. You'll always be beautiful in my eyes," I said with a smile on my lips.

**A/N Alright, here's the chapter for you guys, and I have another poll on my profile, I have narrowed the stories down to four so please vote for one, thanks you guys. ^_^**


	16. Unexpected

**Unexpected**

~I look for you  
But I can't see your face  
And then I hear you  
The only thing you say  
I am afraid right now  
I don't wanna let you down~

I was asleep when I heard my phone ringing. It was an annoying ringer and I have to make a mental note to change the damn thing. With a sigh I turned to grab it from the nightstand on the side of the bed. I looked at the time and noticed it was three in the morning. Laying on my back I answered it.

"Hello?" The person said something I didn't expect and I sat up quickly. "What?! Is she okay?!"

Getting out of the bed I left the room and went down the stairs to go sit down in the living room. Hopefully I didn't wake Sakura up with my phones ringing and me talking loudly to someone.

"We don't know what's wrong yet Sasuke. It seemed like she had a heart-attack but the doctors don't think so." My father explained to me. "Don't let this interfere with your time with Sakura, I'll call and let you know what they find out."

"Okay." I stated with a shaky voice as he hung up.

I set my phone aside and leaned back against the couch with my hand over my eyes. Things just get better don't they? Life knows how to take turns for the worst and it was pissing me off to no end. Damn it. I'm about ready to go insane from all of this shit. I ran my hands through my hair and growled with frustration.

"Sasuke?" I heard Sakura call me as she came into the living room.

"Hey what are you doing up?" I asked her as I wiped my eyes before I walked over to the fireplace and threw some wood into it and grabbed the matches to light it.

"I heard you talking but when I woke up you weren't in the bed. Are you okay?" She questioned as she yawned.

"No." I said as I went back to sit on the couch once the fire was lit.

"What's wrong?" She came over and sat next to me on the couch.

"My mom is in the hospital."

"Oh no! What happened?" She reached over to grab my hand, it actually gave me some comfort, it wasn't a whole lot but it was enough for me at least.

"I don't know, they are trying to figure out what had happened, she had severe pain throughout her body but that's all I was told." I sighed and glanced at our joined hands where her petite hand rested in my larger one.

"Sasuke, she'll be okay."

"I hope so, I don't know what I'll do if something is seriously wrong." She pushed me so I laid on the couch.

"You need some sleep." When she grabbed a blanket to put it on me I pulled her down so she was laying on top of me against my chest.

"Stay with me." I muttered as I hugged her close to me.

"I'm not going anywhere Sasuke." She rested her head on my shoulder and clutched my shirt in her hands. "I'll always be here."

* * *

I believe it was around ten when I opened my eyes and I noticed Sakura was gone. I sat up from the couch and stretched out. and gave a small groan of pain. I was stiff and it hurt I won't lie on that one.

Sakura came walking into the room holding two cups of, I would guess, tea and handed me one of them. I took it with a silent thanks as she sat down next to me.

"Any word from your dad?"

"Not yet."

"I'm sure everything is fine."

"Yeah..."

She grabbed the cup from me and set both of them on the table before turning to me. She grinned and I raised my eyebrow at her as she moved her face closer to mine. She tried to push me down but I beat her to it and I forced her onto her back and held her hands above her head.

"That's not fair." She frowned.

"Yes it is."

"Is not."

I was about to lean back up when she grabbed the front of my shirt and pulled me into a kiss. She slipped her tongue into my mouth and our tongues once again battled for dominance. I let her win this time and I could feel her lips curve into a smile. When we pulled apart I smirked down at her as she giggled.

"I miss your lip ring."

"Its up in the room. Why do you miss it?" I raised a brow. "Maybe its the way it tickles you." I attacked her sides and began tickling her as she screamed.

"Sasuke! Stop it!" She begged.

I heeded her plea and pulled my hands away from her sides. When I sat back she jumped up and knocked me over which resulted to us falling on the floor.

"You know you're always knocking me down." I said as I stared at her since she was on top of me.

"So." She smiled innocently and leaned down to kiss me again.

We turned our heads when we heard whining. Fang and Raven were waiting by the front door.

"I should go take them out to do what they need to do," I said as I sat up with Sakura still pressed against my chest.

"I'm going to get a shower, want to come with me?"

"If you want me to. I'll meet you upstairs after I let Fang and Raven out for a little bit?"

"Okay." She left to go upstairs as I walked to the front door and opened it and Fang and Raven ran out.

They did their business and started chasing each other around in the snow. Raven tackled Fang into the snow and that started a dog wrestling match. I shook my head at them, they were still puppies that's for sure. Once I whistled they came running back and into the cabin as I shut the door after them after wards I headed upstairs.

I walked into the room and heard Sakura humming, so I quietly snuck into the bathroom and spotted her turning on the water and closing the door of the large walk in shower. She was only wrapped in a towel and her hair flowed around her bare shoulders and down her back. Her skin looked smooth and soft.

_She looks beautiful._

I stepped into the bathroom and went to stand behind her. I gently caressed her shoulder and she jumped slightly and let out a gasp before turning around clutching the towel to her chest to keep it wrapped around her. She sighed with relief when she saw it was me and I couldn't help but shake my head in amusement at her reaction.

"You scared me." She stated.

"Sorry." I murmured quietly and stepped closer to her as she blushed.

"After all this time, you still blush?"

"Well, I'm practically naked and you're fully clothed." She said and poked my chest.

"We can change that very easily." I smirked.

"True." She tucked the towel together so it wouldn't come undone and then reached for the bottom of my shirt as I lifted up my arms so she could take it off.

Once she let it drop to the floor she ran her fingers along my chest and down to my stomach. She ended up lightly touching my side and it tickled and I ended up flinching as a smile tugged at the corners of my lips.

"Am I tickling you Sasuke?" She giggled.

"Yes. Don't do that."

"Fine." She rolled her eyes teasingly with a smile on her lips.

She reached for my pants and made me take them off which left me in my black boxers. I pulled the towel from her and it slid down her body to land on the floor. She blushed slightly before she stepped closer so our bodies were pressed against each others.

When my boxers had been removed she pulled me into the shower as the steam covered the glass door. Then it all started with one kiss.

* * *

I heard my phone ringing so I headed downstairs while Sakura finished up in the bathroom, I had my usual clothes on, a black long-sleeve shirt and a pair of black jeans. I grabbed my phone from the side table and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Sasuke." It was Itachi and he sounded upset. "Um, how fast can you get back home?"

"Why?" I asked with nervousness in my voice.

"Did you know mom had cancer?" He sounded like he was going to cry.

I froze as my breath hitched in my throat.

"No..." I can't breathe. "How long has she had it?"

"A few years, dad told me he didn't want me to worry, so I guess it was the same for you, that's why they never told us." He paused. "Sasuke...Mom is dying..."

_Dying_

"What?!" I started to shake slightly and I nearly dropped the phone.

"It's attacking her system, her body can't fight against it anymore, they are going to put her in a drug induced coma so she won't feel the worst of the pain, so you should get back here and say goodbye while you can."

"I'll be back tonight."

"Alright, see you later."

"Bye..."

_This can't be happening._

I went and sat on the couch and folded my hands together and rested my elbows on my knees. My mouth was pressed against my hands when I heard Sakura coming down the stairs. She came to stand in front of me and her eyes widened when she saw my face. She reached out to touch my cheek and wiped something away with her thumb. I was crying and I didn't know.

"Sasuke." She said with worry and knelt down in front of me. "What's wrong?"

I didn't respond at first, so I took in an shaky inhale of breath.

"We have to head back home." I managed to say.

"What? Why?"

"Sakura." I paused before staring her in the eyes. "My mom is dying." I glanced down and rested my head in my hands as my shoulders began to shake.

"What? From what?"

"Cancer."

"But-"

"She's had it for a few years, but my dad never told Itachi and I." I felt more tears slide down my cheeks.

Sakura crawled on the couch to sit next to me before she wrapped her arms around me tightly. I let the tears fall and didn't bother to stop them. Sakura held me and I think she started crying as well, but I couldn't tell.

We sat there for a few minutes before Sakura let me go and kissed me gently on the cheek.

"I'll go pack." She hugged me again and walked up the stairs to get our clothes and pack them into the bag.

I stood to my feet and I could feel my legs shaking pretty badly. I walked to the front door and slipped on my boots and opened the door as Fang and Raven ran outside. I stared out into the sky as I clenched my hands into fists. I heard Sakura coming back from upstairs and she walked over to the door carrying the bags and pillows and blanket we brought.

Heading into the kitchen I grabbed anything and everything that belonged to us.

I walked out of the kitchen carrying a bag of stuff as Sakura came back through the front door. She grabbed the bag from my hands while she carried the car keys in her other.

"I'll drive Sasuke."

Fang and Raven followed us out as Sakura locked the cabin door. Once the two canines were in the car we got into our respective seats and Sakura started the engine and drove off down the road.

I just stared out my window as Sakura drove the distance to get back home. I had to make a call and ask Itachi what hospital they took her to.

_My life is just a living hell.

* * *

_Forever. That's what this feels like. But we finally pulled into the hospital parking lot. I didn't wait for Sakura to fully stop the vehicle when I opened my door and got out. I rushed to the doors and ran inside the medical building then over to the receptionist's desk.

"Where is Mikoto Uchiha's room?!" I asked breathlessly.

"Uh..." The receptionists looked through several files before turning back to me. "Top floor, room 201."

I didn't spare a second and went quickly over to the elevator. The elevator was taking too long to get here so I turned and headed for the stairs instead.

Taking almost three at a time I kept going until I reached the top floor. When I opened the door and glanced around I spotted Itachi talking to my dad. Why aren't they in the room?

They turned and spotted me. _Those looks on their faces._

"No.."

My father was the first to address me when I approached them. "Why aren't you in the room?" I asked before he could say anything.

"Sasuke, they had to put her in the drug induced coma, they couldn't wait any longer." He looked down to the floor. "I'm sorry son, you...came too late."

_I feel..._

I feel cold and hollow, like I used to before.

_Why?_

This can't be real, I have to be dreaming.

_But I'm not...am I?_

No.

_This is reality_

She can't be...she just can't...

_My heart aches_

She's dying.

_It hurts_

The door of my mother's room opened and a doctor walked out. The look on his face showed regret and even sadness. Was he angry he couldn't help her?

I'm angry at myself for that.

I should have been there, I should have done something. There had to have been something I could do.

"Sasuke go ahead and go inside." My father addressed me. "Itachi and I were able to talk to her when she was still awake, you deserve some time to be alone with her."

I shook as he said this.

"Sasuke."

"Stop, please don't say anymore." I pleaded quietly as my hair shadowed my eyes when I looked to the ground.

I walked towards the room and opened the door before shutting it behind me. A pang shot through my heart when I saw her lying there. An oxygen mask covered her nose and mouth as IV's and other machines were attached to her arms.

Stepping forward I went to stand next to her bedside and reached out to grab her hand.

_She's cold_

She's is so lifeless. Anyone could mistake her as being _dead_. That word hit me hard, she is dying, there isn't anything I can do. I can't save her, no matter how much I wish I could change that. She just can't be saved at this point.

* * *

_Seconds. Minutes. Hours._

They all passed so fast, the door opened and my father walked in. I haven't seen Sakura since she drove me here, I've just been sitting here hoping and praying my mom would be alright. But that's just wishful thinking.

He remained quiet as if waiting for me to say something to him, but my mouth wouldn't form any words that would actually get a conversation going.

"Sasuke I-I don't know what to say."

"You could have told me about this years ago." I clenched one of my fists since my other hand was holding my mother's.

"She didn't want me to tell you." He sighed softly.

"Why?"

"She didn't want you worrying about her. She wanted you and Itachi to live your lives and not have to be stuck with her as your burden," He softly stated as he walked closer to me.

I stood and turned to him, letting my mother's hand go lightly. His expression was pained as well, his clothes were a mess and I knew he was a wreck just like me. His shirt was wrinkled and out of place, his tie was hanging around his neck and even his hair was a mess.

Glancing back at my mom's motionless form, I sighed and took an inhale of breath. She was breathing slow and soft, but that, I know, won't last much longer. Her heart is bound to give out sooner or later and I had a gut feeling that it was going to be sooner. And if her heart stopped, there would be no way to bring her back. Even if they could get her heart going again, she would just be in a coma. She wouldn't be able to wake up from this, the pain would be too intense for her.

Right now I feel selfish. I know the cancer is causing her pain. And I hate myself for wanting to keep her alive. She will just be suffering here, my dad told me before that it would be better to just let her go. Anything was better than lying in a hospital bed.

I hate cancer. It's eating her away and I can't kill it like it's killing her.

"I know how hard this is for you. You were closer to your mom like Itachi is close to me. I know she is one of your best friends, and I know your feeling a huge amount of hurt right now."

"I just wish I had more time with her, you know? If I knew she was sick, I wouldn't have moved away to another city. I would have stayed here and stayed with her." I tried to force back the tears that were surfacing.

"This is a hard time in our lives, but we'll have to cope, I know we can."

"I just feel useless. I can't do anything for her. I feel like I let her down." The tears finally fell and to my surprise my dad actually embraced me tightly, and I know he will deny it later, but I swear he is crying too.

"You didn't let her down Sasuke, you could never let her down."

* * *

Her heart stopped, and time seemed to stop for me. I want to be strong, but how can I as I watch the doctors remove the oxygen mask from her face. Her pale skin stood out most in the room, she is too pale to be considered alive.

_She's gone_

I always thought she would live for a long time, but her life was cut short by the sickness that eats away so many lives everyday. I felt someone grab my hand as they placed a sheet over my mother's form and wheeled her out of the room on a bed. I turned to see Sakura, she had tears in her eyes, that reflected the ones in my own.

_I'll never hear her voice again_

_I'll never feel her hugs again_

_I'll never see her warm smiles  
_

_She won't be there in my worst times_

_She won't be there in my best times_

_She can't be here anymore_

_She's really gone_

This isn't how I pictured my life. I didn't expect my mother to pass on when she was still so young. I didn't expect her to have cancer and for her to never tell me about it. She was someone that put others before herself and that's why so many loved her. But I wish just this once, she would have put herself before someone else.

Even if it was her own sons.

* * *

I dressed in all black today, not that it was anything new. But today is a real reason to where it, my mom's funeral is starting. I'm sitting on a chair with my father and brother on both of my sides as the priest stood next to my mom's casket. It wasn't an open-casket funeral, it would have been too painful if it was.

People always say that open-casket funerals give people closure. Well I'm not a fool to believe that. Getting closure means you deal and handle the death of the loved one. But if I saw my mother lying in an open casket, I would have nightmares forever. And its not because of her being dead, its because I wouldn't be able to handle seeing her deceased form popping into my head at night and having to face the hard reality that she is really gone.

Death. It can't be anymore heartbreaking can it?

The priest read lines from his bible and we all bowed our heads to pray silently while he continued to speak. He gave her a proper funeral and for that I was grateful. He asked if anyone would like to say a few words and I hesitantly stood from my seat.

"Sasuke. Son of Mikoto will now speak."

I stood in front of several people. I didn't have stage fright, I never did, I just didn't bother ever facing a large crowd like this before. I glanced at the see of faces and saw my dad, my brother his wife and even Koji, who was a bit confused as to what was fully happening. I saw Juugo and his girlfriend, he smiled at me softly which I tried to return but I don't think my lips formed that curve.

Naruto, Hinata, Ino, Sai...all of them were here. They were here for me because Sakura told them I wasn't handling this well and I was a little grateful to see such familiar faces including those of my aunts, uncles and cousins.

"Kids always believe their parents are indestructible or immune to ever getting hurt. Well that's what I thought about my mom. She was full of life, no matter what the situation was. She was active and I believed nothing could ever hurt her. Even when she knew she had cancer, she always put others before herself.

I don't quite know why she thought she would be a burden by keeping it a secret from Itachi and I but she did things for a reason, and her reasons were always valid. She taught me things about life I will keep with me. She had been one of my best friends and I can't thank her enough for being there for me when I just wanted to give up."

I paused as I stared at the occupants of the church. They had a small smile on their faces despite the glossiness of their eyes.

"I always hid it away, but my mother taught me one important thing. She taught me how to love, even if it was just giving a little. There won't be a day that goes by that I don't think about her, and I know this pain won't fully go away but we just need to push and keep moving forward."

There was a silent applause for my small speech and I went back to my seat. Several more people went to speak and each speech tug at my heartstrings more and more. And when we finally drove to the graveyard and her casket was placed in the ground. I let a few flowers fall into the grave to rest on top of her casket.

I whispered silently to myself. "I love you mom. I know you'll be watching out for us."

* * *

A few weeks passed since my mother's death and her funeral.

I didn't do too well in dealing with her death. Dad was getting better, Itachi was doing fine for the most part. But me. I don't know. I just can't let it go. I thought I could handle this better but I can't. I guess I never really was a strong person, I always just hid behind a wall I built over years of neglect by people and old girlfriends.

And it took my mother's death for it to fully break down and show the fragile and weak person I always knew I was. Sakura and Juugo tried their hardest, but nothing was working.

When my mom died, I felt like a piece of me died with her. I had this huge empty hole in my heart. I just hope it can be filled again, if not...well I hate to think about what stupid self harm I might pull. And if that does happen, I don't think anyone will be able to save me from it.

I know days will turn to weeks and weeks will turn to months until years start to go by. No matter how much time passes, this pain won't go away and I know I'll always end up shedding a few tears when I think about my mom.

Laying on the couch in the living room of Sakura's home, I glanced at the ceiling and thought back to what my mother first said about being in love. She said something about how actions are more clear.

_Sasuke, when it comes to love, actions speak louder than words themselves._

Maybe my actions no prove how much I love her. This pain is showing me how much I really cared for her. This pain. It's making me realize that I'll never lose the love I had for her. It will always be there and I know I can pull through this. It's just a matter of time, and maybe I can be pulled from this state as well.

I heard footsteps and I turned to see Sakura walking into the living room. She sat at my side on the couch and looked down at me since I was still lying on my back.

"What's on your mind?"

"The usual stuff," I murmured quietly.

"Your mom again huh?" She smiled sadly at me.

"Yeah. No matter how hard I try not to think about her, I can't help it." I reached my hand up to wipe my eye, I was tired.

I guess that isn't a surprise. I haven't been sleeping well these last few weeks since the incident. I always woke up after having another nightmare about her. Sakura was there every time and I think she is losing sleep as well. Her red eyes were enough proof of that. I sighed softly and grabbed her arm to pull her down on me.

Once she straightened herself she laid her head against the crook my neck. "Are you tired?" She asked me.

"Yeah, a little."

"Liar, I know you're more tired than you're letting on." She countered. "You haven't been sleeping well and I know that for a fact."

"I know, I just can't stay asleep without her appearing in my unconscious state." I wrapped my arms around her tightly.

"Try and sleep now Sasuke, time can heal wounds more than sleepless nights."

**A/N Don't kill me. *holds hands up in defense* It was part of the story and this is how it was planned out, sorry if I made a few people angry but this is MY ****story and I can make it any way I want.**

**This is the last chapter as far as full length ones go anyway. There is an epilogue so yeah, thanks for reading.**

**Lastly, the poll is closed, the story that was chosen was Formula For Disaster, I have already started working on it so expect the first chapter in the next few weeks.  
**


	17. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

_One Year Later_

It's been a little over a year since my mother passed away and if it wasn't for Sakura and Juugo, I would have never spoken to my father again. I had been angry at him since he kept her sickness a secret from my brother and I. But we worked out our problems thanks to my girlfriend and my best friend. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about her, she's always in my mind and she even occupies a place in my heart.

There are times when I will think too much about her and I would end up shedding a few tears but I guess that's what happens when it concerns someone you love. And I loved her as much as a son can love his mom, I just hope I gave enough to make her happy because she gave me plenty of love from her heart.

I wouldn't have been able to make it through this passed year without Sakura, she was by my side through it all. The hurt and the pain is still there but...I made it down the rough road.

Sakura and I were upstairs messing around trying to get our portfolio together for the gallery. Yes, she had become popular in the photography aspect of her life and we decided to work together. Though I took breaks every now and again thanks to the new job I had down at the police department. I had taken them up on their job offer after a few nudges from Juugo and Sakura and even a few from Naruto. Being a private investigator wasn't all bad, but the cases I dealt with really pissed me off.

I picked through several different photos, some were trees, sunsets, sunrises, animals, portraits of people. Let's just say I had a least over a hundred pictures to sort through.

The gallery gave me a challenge, they gave me a title for a portfolio and told me to put one together with photos I thought went with the title they picked for it. The title itself _Rebirth In It's Aftermath _was difficult to work with, but with the photos Sakura and I took were more than qualified for this particular portfolio.

Fang came into the room and he was a little uneasy. Its weird, Sakura was acting the same way. Sakura had been acting weird all morning, and when she left to go somewhere earlier, I don't know where, she was a little nervous? I guess. Fang on the other hand was acting strange since about an hour or so ago. Come to think of it, where's Raven?

I stared at him and he barked before stepping out of the room. When I didn't follow he came back in and repeated his action. He was grown a lot more this passed year, even his ark had become deeper.

"I think he wants us to follow him." I said when I looked at Sakura.

She nodded and we followed him down the stairs. Once we got to the living room we stopped in our tracks. My eyes widened at the sight.

There was _One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine._ Nine dogs. Two were Fang and Raven and the other seven were the small versions of them snuggled against Raven as she cleaned them.

"Oh jeez..." I muttered and knelt down.

"I guess we just didn't notice being busy with work these last few weeks." Sakura said with a bright smile on her face.

I knelt down to Fang as he sat next to Raven who was curled up in one of the dog beds we bought.

"You little rascal, looks like Sakura and I weren't the only ones _getting busy_." I joked before Sakura punched me in the arm as she laughed. I rubbed the spot she hit me in, can you blame me? She can hit hard sometimes.

"So Sasuke how do you feel about the babies?"

"Well, I'm surprised but a little excited." I smiled.

"Good I have something to show you." She stood and went upstairs to our room, when she returned she had something behind her back.

She handed it to me and I stared at it. My eyes widened when I turned to look at her.

"Sakura?" I said unsure and stood up.

"I'm pregnant." She managed to say.

"Are you serious?"

She nodded.

"When did you find out?"

"This morning. I went to the doctor to make sure and their test was positive too."

I was speechless and she suddenly had a look of fear on her face.

"You're going to leave me aren't you?"

"What?!"

"Don't lie Sasuke." She said as she started crying.

"Hey." I stepped closer to her and grabbed her chin to make her look at me. "What made you think that?"

"I don't know."

"Sakura, this is all a surprise you know, but I'm not mad, I'm actually happy, I'm going to be a dad." I gave a wide smile.

"You're okay with this?"

"Yeah, I love you, so you should know I would never leave you."

I placed my hands against her cheeks and brought her lips to mine. I kissed her deeply before she opened her mouth to allow my tongue entry into her mouth. I pulled away and rested my hand on her stomach.

"Sakura," I spoke seriously, "If its..."

"If it's what?"

"If it's a girl, can I name her? I already have one picked."

"What's the name you want?"

"Mikoto."

"I think that's a perfect name."

My eyes watered up a little bit as Sakura reached up to hug me. When I wrapped my arms around her, I spotted the picture of my mom hanging on the wall. I smiled despite the tears that managed to escape my eyes.

_Our lives were just beginning._

_In a world of make believe  
You can change all that you see  
But in the world of reality  
You've taught me all that I need_

_Time like a river flows  
Twisting and turning all the way  
Life is an endless road  
You've been with me day by day_

_The only way I can thank you  
Is to be the best that I can be  
If we hold on together  
Just you and me_

_A mother's love is forever  
A mother's love is for free  
It doesn't matter if you're good or bad  
She's there for whatever you need_

_In the world of fantasy  
Hold on to your dreams  
Open up your heart and see  
All the love you need is me_


	18. Author Note

So I have been thinking.

A lot of people liked this story and I've had a few people want it. I just have one question for everyone that reviewed and/or put this on their favorite and alert lists.

Do you guys want a sequel?

Pretty simple question, you can leave a review on this author note, or send me a private message either way let me know what you guys would like. Should there be a sequel to Ignored Love, or do I just leave it as it is?

Well that's all I have to say really, and if you liked _Ignored Love_, check out _The Asylum_ and_ Tattered Hearts_ if you would like to read more stories by me. Thanks in advance.

~Kakashi500


	19. Sequel

Just to let those of you know, who asked to be notified. The one-shot sequel of Ignore Love is now up.

That is all I guess

~Kakashi500


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